Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Stock Price Down 6.2% on Analyst Downgrade

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) traded down 6.2% on Monday after Bank of America lowered their price target on the stock from $181.00 to $174.00. Bank of America currently has an underperform rating on the stock. Marsh & McLennan Companies traded as low as $180.97 and last traded at $173.4670. 3,040,356 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 1% from the average session volume of 3,085,199 shares. The stock had previously closed at $185.00.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on MRSH. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Raymond James Financial raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $200.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $205.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Solstein Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.0%

The company has a fifty day moving average of $172.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market cap of $83.68 billion, a PE ratio of 20.50, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.75.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.70%.

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.