Empirical Finance LLC Sells 226 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Empirical Finance LLC lessened its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,876 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 226 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,585,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% in the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Monday, November 25th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on 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. Finally, Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $227.45 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $111.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $194.50 and a twelve month high of $235.50. The company’s fifty day moving average is $216.81 and its 200 day moving average is $221.58.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.54 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.