Townsquare Capital LLC Acquires 1,631 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 16.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,761 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,631 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $2,498,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $237.75.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of MMC opened at $232.18 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $248.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $233.20 and its 200-day moving average is $224.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $114.44 billion, a PE ratio of 28.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total value of $550,302.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,326,412. This trade represents a 14.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 have sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.