Barclays Issues Positive Forecast for Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Stock Price

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) had its price target upped by Barclays from $206.00 to $210.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on MMC. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $213.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 3rd. UBS Group decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $258.00 to $257.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $222.00 to $212.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $181.00 price objective (down previously from $243.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $222.41.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 2.2%

MMC opened at $186.90 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 12-month low of $174.18 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.56 billion, a PE ratio of 22.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.76. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $183.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $196.70.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.34 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.60% and a return on equity of 31.79%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.63 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.22, for a total transaction of $3,841,015.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,977,231.82. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,158,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,092,108,000 after acquiring an additional 837,117 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 21,538,014 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,340,556,000 after purchasing an additional 96,436 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,590,697 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,745,889,000 after purchasing an additional 221,033 shares during the period. Capital World Investors increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,702,898 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,567,410,000 after purchasing an additional 92,767 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,091,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,041,386,000 after buying an additional 1,260,434 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC) is a global professional services firm headquartered in New York City that provides advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and people. Founded in 1905, the company has grown into a diversified group of businesses focused on insurance brokerage and risk management, reinsurance, human capital and investment consulting, and management consulting. Its long history and scale position it as a prominent adviser to corporations, governments and other institutions seeking to manage risk and optimize human and financial capital.

The firm operates through several well-known subsidiaries and business units that specialize in distinct services.