Archvest Wealth Advisors Inc. Lowers Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Archvest Wealth Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,840 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 57 shares during the quarter. Archvest Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $603,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MMC. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. increased its position 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $227.45 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $111.71 billion, a PE ratio of 27.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $216.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $221.52. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $194.50 and a 1 year high of $235.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share 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 analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MMC shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $230.44.

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.