Riverwater Partners LLC Increases Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Riverwater Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 9.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,031 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Riverwater Partners LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $252,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MMC. City Holding Co. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.0%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $216.41 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $106.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.52, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.83. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $207.21 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $225.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 32.19%. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.89 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.