Barclays Issues Positive Forecast for Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Stock Price

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) had its price objective lifted by stock analysts at Barclays from $206.00 to $210.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Barclays‘s target price points to a potential upside of 12.36% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on MMC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $191.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $258.00 to $257.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $222.41.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 2.2%

NYSE:MMC traded up $4.00 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $186.90. 2,307,956 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,385,644. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.76. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a one year low of $174.18 and a one year high of $248.00. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $182.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $196.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.79% and a net margin of 15.60%.The company had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.63 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.22, for a total value of $3,841,015.38. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,977,231.82. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 363.3% in the 2nd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 139 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth about $30,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.