Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $216.8750.

MMC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Evercore decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $211.00 to $201.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Mizuho began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $212.00 price objective for the company.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of MMC stock opened at $182.39 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $183.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $190.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.35 billion, a PE ratio of 21.87, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.76. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 52-week low of $174.18 and a 52-week high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 29th were paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 29th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 43.17%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.22, for a total value 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 approximately $15,977,231.82. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,328,587,000. Soundwatch Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $560,820,000. Ninety One UK Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 163.0% in the 4th quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 3,542,004 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $657,113,000 after purchasing an additional 2,195,201 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 212.6% during the 2nd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,285,194 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $499,635,000 after buying an additional 1,554,114 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9,455.4% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,520,164 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $282,021,000 after buying an additional 1,504,255 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.