Magnetar Financial LLC Sells 15,314 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Magnetar Financial LLC lessened its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 54.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 12,841 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 15,314 shares during the quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $2,728,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 330,506 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $70,203,000 after buying an additional 56,215 shares in the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 214,090 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,475,000 after acquiring an additional 3,743 shares in the last quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.7% in the 4th quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 24,621 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,219,000 after purchasing an additional 6,997 shares during the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $13,957,000. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 11,569 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,448,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:MMC opened at $233.49 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.17 and a one year high of $241.84. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $226.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $223.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $114.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MMC. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.