Stifel Financial Corp Buys 1,883,146 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Stifel Financial Corp lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 551.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,224,932 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,883,146 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned about 0.45% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $472,599,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,885 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. 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 valued at $1,224,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, New England Professional Planning Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. New England Professional Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,261 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company’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 value 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 $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $1,673,221.37. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $239.53.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MMC opened at $220.15 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $232.95 and its 200 day moving average is $224.81. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.72 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. The stock has a market cap of $108.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.08 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.89 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.48%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.95%.

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.