Ballast Inc. Raises Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Ballast Inc. boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 12.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,230 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Ballast Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $233,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Headinvest LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, RVW Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.16, for a total transaction of $305,582.76. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $611,374.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 12,494 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total transaction of $2,508,670.26. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares in the company, valued at $6,762,205.62. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.16, for a total transaction of $305,582.76. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $611,374.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 36,751 shares of company stock valued at $7,448,163. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $205.98 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $200.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $196.03. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $163.37 and a 52-week high of $209.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.90.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.05. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.52% and a return on equity of 33.72%. The firm had revenue of $5.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.47 earnings per share. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 3rd. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MMC. StockNews.com downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. TD Cowen began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $189.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $215.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $185.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $202.71.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a professional services company, provides advice and solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide. It operates through Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment offers risk management services, such as risk advice, risk transfer, and risk control and mitigation solutions, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking, strategic advisory services, and analytics solutions, and insurance program management services.