New Vernon Investment Management LLC Makes New Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

New Vernon Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 7,313 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,553,000. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises about 0.9% of New Vernon Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Louisbourg Investments Inc. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% in 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. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 6,310 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 191,512 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,679,000 after acquiring an additional 16,464 shares during the period. Brentview Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,635,000. Finally, Occidental Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC now owns 19,359 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,112,000 after purchasing an additional 1,555 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total transaction of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares in the company, valued at $3,326,412. This represents a 14.20 % decrease in their position. 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 insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.0 %

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $219.00 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.72 and a one year high of $248.00. The business’s fifty day moving average is $232.00 and its 200 day moving average is $224.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $107.95 billion, a PE ratio of 26.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $7.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.89 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 39.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $241.93.

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.