Strategic Blueprint LLC Buys 268 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Strategic Blueprint LLC increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,357 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 268 shares during the quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $636,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 105,777.7% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,772,516 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,617,156,000 after buying an additional 9,763,286 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $659,049,000. Morgan Stanley increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 49.2% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,293,827 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,041,503,000 after purchasing an additional 2,075,928 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 331.5% during the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 1,830,548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $311,962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,406,293 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 133.1% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,297,356 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $221,095,000 after purchasing an additional 740,778 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MMC opened at $201.14 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $202.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $196.53. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $167.81 and a 12-month high of $209.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company has a market cap of $99.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.71, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.90.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $5.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.47 EPS. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 37.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $215.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $189.00 price objective for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $185.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $611,374.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,994 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.00, for a total value of $2,048,770.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,291,675. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.16, for a total transaction of $305,582.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $611,374.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 36,751 shares of company stock valued at $7,448,163 in the last three months. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.