Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Makes New Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 157,683 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $33,516,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 67,397 shares of company stock worth $15,694,684. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 5.9 %

MMC stock opened at $229.94 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $112.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.08, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.17 and a twelve month high of $248.00. The company’s 50 day moving average is $232.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.54.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. Research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut 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 research note on Monday, February 3rd. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $233.41.

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.