Lafayette Investments Inc. Has $4.19 Million Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Lafayette Investments Inc. reduced its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,123 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 75 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up about 1.0% of Lafayette Investments Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Lafayette Investments Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $4,192,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,808 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $343,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 2,210 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $421,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,361 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 4,785 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $911,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Martine Ferland sold 9,128 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.63, for a total transaction of $1,840,478.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,012,065.77. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,994 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.00, for a total value of $2,048,770.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,291,675. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martine Ferland sold 9,128 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.63, for a total value of $1,840,478.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,012,065.77. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 36,751 shares of company stock valued at $7,448,163. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock traded down $0.84 during trading on Friday, hitting $200.89. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 466,907 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,710,724. The company has a market cap of $99.15 billion, a PE ratio of 26.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The business has a fifty day moving average of $202.77 and a 200-day moving average of $196.72. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $171.47 and a 52 week high of $209.20.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.80 by $0.09. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.72% and a net margin of 16.52%. The company had revenue of $6.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.53 earnings per share. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MMC shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $185.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $204.73.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.