Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Sold by Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD.

Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. trimmed its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 6.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,440 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 160 shares during the period. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $518,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.2% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,905,431 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,648,304,000 after purchasing an additional 251,361 shares during the last quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% during the 4th quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 8,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,744,000 after buying an additional 3,300 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 508,245 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $113,384,000 after acquiring an additional 23,445 shares during the period. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 27,004 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,024,000 after acquiring an additional 3,880 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 197.5% in the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 11,116 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,480,000 after acquiring an additional 7,380 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC opened at $237.78 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $220.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $222.83. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.17 and a 52-week high of $237.97. The company has a market cap of $116.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.03, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.96. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. Equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.