Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Sold by Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd

Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,427,855 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 86,209 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for approximately 2.8% of Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd owned about 0.49% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $515,701,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% during the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. 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, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of MMC opened at $231.49 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $113.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.26, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.96. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $219.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $222.57. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.17 and a 52 week high of $235.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict 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 was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

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.