Brooklyn Investment Group Boosts Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,015 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $853,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MMC. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 95.4% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 17,385 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,693,000 after purchasing an additional 8,487 shares in the last quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services now owns 24,877 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,284,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $8,195,000. Procyon Advisors LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,522 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $536,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RDA Financial Network increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. RDA Financial Network now owns 1,772 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $376,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC opened at $215.23 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $218.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $221.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $105.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.51, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.96. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $188.31 and a 52-week high of $235.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.71 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 32.65%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.15%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total transaction of $553,875.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 48,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,756,030.95. The trade was a 4.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $211.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $228.60.

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.