Trust Co. of Vermont Increases Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 188.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 825 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $268,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Bangor Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 285 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MMC shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. 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. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.60.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $215.23 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $105.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $218.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $221.15. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $188.31 and a 1 year high of $235.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.71 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 16.82%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.15%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total value of $553,875.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 48,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. The trade was a 4.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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.