First Horizon Advisors Inc. Increases Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 14.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 596 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $127,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% in 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 buying an additional 1,093,817 shares during the period. 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 acquiring an additional 518,185 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 127.9% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 899,716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $200,718,000 after purchasing an additional 504,897 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 219.5% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 529,239 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $118,068,000 after purchasing an additional 363,569 shares during the period. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth about $76,424,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 1.2 %

MMC opened at $231.49 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $113.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.96. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $235.50. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $219.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $222.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on MMC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Barclays boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased 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. Finally, Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.