Reliant Investment Management LLC Boosts Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Reliant Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 5.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 24,939 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,320 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up approximately 2.3% of Reliant Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Reliant Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $5,297,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 21,445,110 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,784,190,000 after buying an additional 518,185 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,905,431 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,648,304,000 after buying an additional 251,361 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,530,716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $954,712,000 after buying an additional 223,257 shares during the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.0% in the third quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 4,274,880 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $953,683,000 after acquiring an additional 85,754 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,999,771 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $892,309,000 after acquiring an additional 184,239 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Bank of America raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. 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, 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $228.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total transaction of $553,875.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 48,549 shares in the company, valued at $10,756,030.95. This represents a 4.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.35% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MMC opened at $215.23 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $105.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company’s 50-day moving average is $218.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $221.21. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $188.31 and a 12-month high of $235.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

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.