Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seventeen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $205.00.

Several brokerages have recently commented on MRSH. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Friday, January 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,643,309,000 after purchasing an additional 387,100 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.5% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,702,898 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,567,410,000 after purchasing an additional 92,767 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,967,927,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.1%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $166.15 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $80.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.77, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $172.64. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a twelve month low of $162.85 and a twelve month high of $235.78.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.08. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.00%.

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.