Verus Capital Partners LLC Has $292,000 Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Verus Capital Partners LLC decreased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 18.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,377 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 314 shares during the quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $292,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MMC. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.4 %

MMC opened at $237.78 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.17 and a twelve month high of $237.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market cap of $116.78 billion, a PE ratio of 29.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a fifty day moving average of $220.47 and a 200-day moving average of $222.83.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted 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 net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company 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. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.