Welch & Forbes LLC Sells 825 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Welch & Forbes LLC trimmed its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,444 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 825 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,305,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Valley National Advisers Inc. raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 343.3% in the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 133 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Headinvest LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Cordant Inc. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on MMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $185.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $207.69.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE:MMC traded up $2.22 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $203.74. The company had a trading volume of 1,000,323 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,723,838. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $202.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $197.67. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $171.47 and a twelve month high of $209.20. The firm has a market cap of $100.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.80 by $0.09. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 34.14% and a net margin of 16.84%. The business had revenue of $6.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.53 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 4th will be given a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 36.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Martine Ferland sold 9,128 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.63, for a total transaction of $1,840,478.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 9,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,012,065.77. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,994 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.00, for a total value of $2,048,770.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,291,675. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martine Ferland sold 9,128 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.63, for a total transaction of $1,840,478.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 9,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,012,065.77. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 36,751 shares of company stock worth $7,448,163. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a professional services company, provides advice and solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide. It operates through Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment offers risk management services, such as risk advice, risk transfer, and risk control and mitigation solutions, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking, strategic advisory services, and analytics solutions, and insurance program management services.