Ritholtz Wealth Management Buys 1,141 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 12.5% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 10,305 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,141 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $2,515,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,885 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Defined Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.5% during the first quarter. Defined Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $780,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. DF Dent & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. now owns 5,762 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,224,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. New England Professional Planning Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. New England Professional Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,261 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 1,260 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $217.19 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $226.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $225.29. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $207.21 and a one year high of $248.00. The company has a market capitalization of $107.02 billion, a PE ratio of 26.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.89 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MMC. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $241.93.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,326,412. This represents a 14.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total transaction of $2,344,405.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,129,075. This represents a 31.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

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.