Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) Receives $216.12 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the nineteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have assigned a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $216.1176.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MRSH shares. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, January 29th. They set a “hold (c)” rating on the stock. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $199.00 price target (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Evercore dropped their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,856,000 after acquiring an additional 2,960 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.6% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $651,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.7% in the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,959 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $866,000 after buying an additional 446 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 21.7% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,653 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after buying an additional 831 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 65.6% during the 2nd quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 795 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $174,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE MRSH opened at $172.18 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a one year low of $170.37 and a one year high of $248.00. The stock has a market cap of $83.36 billion, a PE ratio of 20.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.74.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced 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. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.87 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm 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 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.