New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 18,551 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

New York State Teachers Retirement System lowered its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 357,187 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 18,551 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $75,870,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% during 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 bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.9 %

MMC stock opened at $231.06 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $195.99 and a fifty-two week high of $235.50. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $216.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $221.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company has a market capitalization of $113.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.