Marsh (NYSE:MRSH) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Marsh (NYSE:MRSH) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, one has issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $207.3750.

A number of brokerages have commented on MRSH. Mizuho set a $213.00 price target on Marsh in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Marsh from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings began coverage on shares of Marsh in a report on Thursday, January 29th. They issued a “hold (c)” rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Marsh in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Marsh from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Swmg LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh during the fourth quarter worth about $656,000. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in Marsh in the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,608,000. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh during the 4th quarter worth approximately $361,000. Investment Partners LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh during the 4th quarter worth approximately $308,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,086,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh stock opened at $185.20 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $89.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.75. Marsh has a 12-month low of $170.37 and a 12-month high of $248.00. 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 (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15. Marsh had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.87 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Marsh Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.70%.

Key Headlines Impacting Marsh

Here are the key news stories impacting Marsh this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.90/share (record Apr 9, payable May 15; ex-div Apr 9) implying a ~2.0% yield — supports income-focused investors and signals confidence in cash flow. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Marsh hired a data-center legal veteran to lead contract strategy as the industry scales toward a large build-out (~$7tn cited) — this strengthens the firm’s capabilities in a high-growth, specialty-insurance segment and could support revenue growth in commercial lines. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Appointed former Schroders CEO Peter Harrison to the board — adds senior asset-management and governance experience, which can bolster investor confidence in strategic oversight. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Report: Morgan Sindall’s chair has taken a new non-executive role at Marsh & McLennan — another board-level hire; generally neutral but supportive of governance depth. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several sports articles in your feed concern MLB outfielder Brandon Marsh (Phillies) and his spring-training hand issue; these stories are unrelated to Marsh & McLennan (MRSH) and are unlikely to affect the stock. Links for reference: Read More., Read More., Read More., Read More., Read More.

About Marsh

Marsh is a global insurance broker and risk advisor that helps organizations assess, manage and transfer a broad range of risks. The firm provides insurance placement and broking services for commercial and public-sector clients as well as specialty solutions for families and high-net-worth individuals. Its work focuses on identifying exposures, designing risk-transfer strategies and securing coverage from insurers and reinsurers to protect clients’ assets and operations.

Services offered by Marsh include commercial property and casualty broking, cyber and professional-liability placement, employee benefits consulting, and industry-specific specialty lines such as marine, energy and construction.