Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Boosts Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 9.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 797,786 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 68,069 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $168,501,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MMC. Modera Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,885 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $400,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $163,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. New England Professional Planning Group Inc. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. New England Professional Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,261 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $268,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, TFB Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. TFB Advisors LLC now owns 2,576 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $547,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MMC shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, 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 research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $233.41.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:MMC opened at $243.77 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.17 and a fifty-two week high of $243.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $229.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.08. The company has a market cap of $119.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.34%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total transaction of $11,367,602.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This trade represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.