Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lessened its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,889,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 69,949 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up 2.2% of Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. owned about 0.38% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $357,928,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MMC. Impax Asset Management Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $261,787,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3,413.7% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 532,670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $100,925,000 after buying an additional 517,510 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1,496.4% during the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 447,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $85,064,000 after buying an additional 419,000 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 60.5% during the third quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 791,161 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $150,558,000 after purchasing an additional 298,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,979,821 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,137,960,000 after purchasing an additional 271,408 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 12,494 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total transaction of $2,508,670.26. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 33,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,762,205.62. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 12,494 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total transaction of $2,508,670.26. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 33,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,762,205.62. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.16, for a total value of $305,582.76. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $611,374.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 36,751 shares of company stock worth $7,448,163. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE MMC opened at $197.95 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $203.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $197.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.53 billion, a PE ratio of 25.12, a P/E/G ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $171.47 and a twelve month high of $209.20.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.80 by $0.09. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 34.14% and a net margin of 16.84%. The firm had revenue of $6.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.53 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 4th will be paid a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 3rd. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on MMC shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $215.00 to $185.00 in a report on Monday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $211.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $207.69.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a professional services company, provides advice and solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide. It operates through Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment offers risk management services, such as risk advice, risk transfer, and risk control and mitigation solutions, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking, strategic advisory services, and analytics solutions, and insurance program management services.