Ninety One UK Ltd Acquires 56,120 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Ninety One UK Ltd increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 934,634 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 56,120 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $198,526,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% in the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on MMC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 25th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $229.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.7 %

NYSE:MMC opened at $222.99 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $217.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $221.42. The company has a market cap of $109.51 billion, a PE ratio of 27.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.96. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $191.87 and a twelve month high of $235.50. 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 (NYSE:MMC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (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%. Analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.45 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.80%.

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.