Van ECK Associates Corp Trims Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Van ECK Associates Corp trimmed its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 104,879 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,935 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $22,277,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. increased its stake 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MMC shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Roth Mkm raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $228.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $112.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.95, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.96. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.17 and a 1 year high of $235.50. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $216.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $221.90.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (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 anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.