Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Sold by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 56 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $256,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $235,511,000 after buying an additional 1,093,817 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 21,445,110 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,784,190,000 after purchasing an additional 518,185 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 127.9% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 899,716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $200,718,000 after purchasing an additional 504,897 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 31,846.5% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 427,764 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $95,430,000 after purchasing an additional 426,425 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 219.5% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 529,239 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $118,068,000 after buying an additional 363,569 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MMC shares. UBS Group raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC stock opened at $228.88 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $216.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $221.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.95, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.13. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $194.94 and a 1 year high of $235.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. On average, research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.54 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc is a professional services firm, which engages in offering clients advice and solutions in risk, strategy, and people. It operates through the Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment is involved in risk management activities, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking and services.