Barclays Lowers Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Price Target to $209.00

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) had its target price cut by investment analysts at Barclays from $210.00 to $209.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Barclays‘s price target points to a potential upside of 22.24% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on MRSH. Evercore decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $199.00 price objective (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $216.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRSH opened at $170.98 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.74. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1 year low of $170.37 and a 1 year high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The company had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.87 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,856,000 after buying an additional 2,960 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.6% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $651,000 after acquiring an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 60.8% during the 2nd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 1,661 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 628 shares during the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.7% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,959 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $866,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prospera Financial Services Inc increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 181.6% in the second quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 8,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,786,000 after purchasing an additional 5,266 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.