Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Bought by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 9.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 191,512 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,464 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $40,679,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% in the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth $31,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on MMC shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:MMC opened at $230.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $113.27 billion, a PE ratio of 28.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.96. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $217.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $222.15. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.17 and a 1-year high of $235.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. On average, equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.62 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.80%.

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.