Impax Asset Management Group plc Decreases Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Impax Asset Management Group plc cut its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 14.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,550,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 261,439 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up about 1.5% of Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $328,253,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $235,511,000 after buying an additional 1,093,817 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 21,445,110 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,784,190,000 after purchasing an additional 518,185 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 127.9% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 899,716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $200,718,000 after purchasing an additional 504,897 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 31,846.5% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 427,764 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $95,430,000 after purchasing an additional 426,425 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 219.5% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 529,239 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $118,068,000 after purchasing an additional 363,569 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price 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. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $230.05 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.17 and a twelve month high of $235.50. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $218.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $222.31. The company has a market cap of $112.98 billion, a PE ratio of 28.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio 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.