Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Bought by Mizuho Securities USA LLC

Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 46.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 46,547 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,659 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $9,887,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 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 transaction of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 57,828 shares of company stock worth $13,350,279. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $232.05 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.17 and a 12-month high of $241.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $113.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $227.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $223.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 25th. 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $230.44.

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.