PICTET BANK & TRUST Ltd Buys New Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

PICTET BANK & TRUST Ltd acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 6,696 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,422,000. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for about 1.4% of PICTET BANK & TRUST Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,905,431 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,648,304,000 after acquiring an additional 251,361 shares during the last quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 508,245 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $113,384,000 after purchasing an additional 23,445 shares during the period. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 27,004 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,024,000 after buying an additional 3,880 shares during the period. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 197.5% in the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 11,116 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,480,000 after buying an additional 7,380 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $228.95 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $112.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.95, a PEG 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. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.17 and a 1 year high of $235.50. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $216.71 and its 200 day moving average is $221.90.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Barclays upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.