Aviva PLC Sells 57,294 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Aviva PLC cut its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,004,622 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 57,294 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises approximately 0.6% of Aviva PLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Aviva PLC owned 0.20% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $213,392,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.2% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,905,431 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,648,304,000 after acquiring an additional 251,361 shares during the period. Louisbourg Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% during the 4th quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 8,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,744,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 197.5% during the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 11,116 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,480,000 after buying an additional 7,380 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.3% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 85,424 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,461,000 after buying an additional 3,553 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 106,485 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $22,618,000 after acquiring an additional 6,310 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $229.94 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $232.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $224.54. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.17 and a twelve month high of $248.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $112.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total transaction of $2,344,405.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $5,129,075. This trade represents a 31.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 67,397 shares of company stock valued at $15,694,684 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up 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 price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $233.41.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.