Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd Acquires 1,535 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 252.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,144 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,535 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $478,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 267.7% in the third quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 21,057 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,698,000 after buying an additional 15,331 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 60,287 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,449,000 after purchasing an additional 6,471 shares in the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 27.8% in the third quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 7,035 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,569,000 after buying an additional 1,531 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.3% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 11,690 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,608,000 after buying an additional 585 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.0% during the third quarter. Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 21,260 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,743,000 after buying an additional 1,580 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total value of $553,875.00. Following the sale, the director now 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $232.77 on Wednesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $184.28 and a twelve month high of $233.48. The stock has a market cap of $114.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company’s fifty day moving average is $223.75 and its 200-day moving average is $219.31.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th were issued a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 40.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on MMC. Barclays increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Roth Mkm raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $227.60.

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.