Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC lowered its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 7.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,340 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 111 shares during the period. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $285,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 2.1 %

NYSE MMC opened at $243.77 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.76, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.17 and a one year high of $243.89. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $229.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.08.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MMC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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 research note on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $233.41.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.