Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. Makes New $250,000 Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,176 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $250,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 285 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.3% in the third quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,343 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $523,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. BSW Wealth Partners grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,086 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $242,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,595 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,856 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $414,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $211.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $228.60.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total value of $553,875.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 48,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,756,030.95. This represents a 4.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $217.62 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $218.14 and a 200 day moving average of $221.23. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $188.31 and a 1 year high of $235.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.15%.

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.