Brokerages Set Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) Price Target at $203.50

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $203.50.

MRSH has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total value of $1,348,929.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 16,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. This represents a 29.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total value of $2,107,800.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 12,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,107,975.65. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 19,813 shares of company stock valued at $3,597,903 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MRSH. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 16,707.0% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 122,656,786 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $20,443,207,000 after acquiring an additional 121,926,988 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth $6,583,806,000. State Street Corp bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,482,557,000. Finally, Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $3,140,284,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE:MRSH opened at $185.80 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 52 week low of $156.60 and a 52 week high of $207.82. The company has a market cap of $88.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $185.49.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The business had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. The firm’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.44 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 23rd. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 48.41%.

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.