Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Lowers Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ trimmed its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 24.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 161,020 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 51,538 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $34,133,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MMC. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $860,824,000 after purchasing an additional 1,823,807 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $235,511,000 after acquiring an additional 1,093,817 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $207,278,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 29,648.6% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 688,978 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $146,346,000 after purchasing an additional 686,662 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 21,445,110 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,784,190,000 after purchasing an additional 518,185 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $229.73 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $224.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $223.57. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.17 and a 52-week high of $241.84. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MMC. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average 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.