Argent Trust Co Has $4.17 Million Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Argent Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,632 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $4,170,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MMC. Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,885 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $400,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $281,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $163,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. now owns 5,762 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,224,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New England Professional Planning Group Inc. boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. New England Professional Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,261 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC traded up $2.03 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $231.59. The company had a trading volume of 139,292 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,841,079. The firm has a market cap of $114.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.28, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a fifty day moving average of $232.44 and a 200-day moving average of $224.51. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $248.00. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $234.12.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.