Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Purchases 4,266 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 0.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,485,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,266 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up approximately 1.1% of Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership owned 0.71% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $740,291,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MMC. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 252.1% in the 3rd quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,144 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $478,000 after purchasing an additional 1,535 shares in the last quarter. Associated Banc Corp purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth $232,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 127.9% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 899,716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $200,718,000 after buying an additional 504,897 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 53.6% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 10,130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,260,000 after acquiring an additional 3,535 shares during the period. Finally, Cynosure Group LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 2,469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $551,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC opened at $238.72 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $117.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.15, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $228.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $223.95. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.17 and a 52-week high of $241.84.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. Equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MMC. 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $233.41.

Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was 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 directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total transaction of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 57,828 shares of company stock worth $13,350,279 over the last three months. 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.