Conning Inc. Acquires 369 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Conning Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,947 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 369 shares during the period. Conning Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $4,449,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.2% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,905,431 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,648,304,000 after purchasing an additional 251,361 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 508,245 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $113,384,000 after buying an additional 23,445 shares in the last quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 27,004 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,024,000 after acquiring an additional 3,880 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 197.5% in 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 acquiring an additional 7,380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Waverton Investment Management Ltd raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% during the third quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 1,104,799 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $246,475,000 after purchasing an additional 50,167 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of MMC opened at $227.45 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $111.71 billion, a PE ratio of 27.77, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.96. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $216.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $221.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $194.50 and a 12 month high of $235.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its 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 return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. On average, analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.45 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MMC. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price 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 issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $230.44.

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.