Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 1,093,010 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. decreased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 98.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,748 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,093,010 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,843,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. City Holding Co. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE MMC opened at $217.19 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $107.02 billion, a PE ratio of 26.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.83. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $207.21 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $226.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $225.29.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.89 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total transaction of $2,344,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,129,075. The trade was a 31.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,326,412. The trade was a 14.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MMC shares. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $241.93.

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.