Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Upgraded to “Outperform” at BMO Capital Markets

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) was upgraded by research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, Briefing.com reports. The firm currently has a $230.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets‘s price target points to a potential upside of 11.83% from the stock’s previous close.

MRSH has been the subject of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $191.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Evercore reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $234.00 to $224.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $179.00 to $178.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $205.84.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 2.5%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $205.66 on Tuesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 12 month low of $156.60 and a 12 month high of $206.49. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $182.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The company has a market cap of $97.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.59.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.32% and a net margin of 14.20%. The firm had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $243,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $541,000. The trade was a 30.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Dean Klisura sold 4,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $838,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,187,000. This represents a 16.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MRSH. Waycross Partners LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Waycross Partners LLC now owns 187,395 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,994,000 after acquiring an additional 12,758 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% during the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 12,764 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,179,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. CenterBook Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $2,610,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 14.2% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,704 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $293,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. Finally, Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth $299,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies is a global professional services firm that provides advice and solutions in risk, strategy and people. The company serves businesses, governments and institutions through a portfolio of specialized businesses focused on insurance brokerage, reinsurance, consulting and talent management.

Its principal businesses include Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory firm; Guy Carpenter, a provider of reinsurance brokerage and related risk-management services; Mercer, which offers consulting in investment, retirement, health and workforce strategy; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm serving clients across industries and regions.

Founded in 1905, Marsh & McLennan serves clients in countries and markets around the world.