Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for Marsh (NYSE:MRSH) Stock Price

Marsh (NYSE:MRSH) had its price target hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $190.00 to $195.00 in a research note published on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Marsh from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $199.33.

Marsh Trading Up 0.2%

Marsh stock opened at $188.21 on Friday. Marsh has a 52 week low of $174.18 and a 52 week high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The company has a market cap of $92.21 billion, a PE ratio of 19.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.76.

Marsh (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. Marsh had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The business’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.87 earnings per share.

Marsh Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 29th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Marsh’s payout ratio is presently 42.70%.

Key Headlines Impacting Marsh

Here are the key news stories impacting Marsh this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and consulting-unit strength — Marsh reported $2.12 EPS vs. $1.97 est., revenue around $6.6B (beats estimates) and y/y revenue growth of ~8.7%; company commentary highlighted strength in consulting and insurance lines. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Fourth-quarter profit rise driven by core insurance business — coverage reiterates that insurance operations and fee-based consulting lifted profitability and revenue. This is the primary fundamental driver for the stock move. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $203 (from $199) with an Equal Weight rating — the lift to a $203 target (~7.9% above current levels) likely contributed to buying interest. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley nudged its target to $195 (from $190) and kept an Equal Weight rating — another upward revision that supports the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC reaffirmed a Sector Perform rating with a $200 target — a modestly constructive take but not a buy/upgrade; this is neutral-to-slightly supportive. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Non-financial article (filming locations for “Under Salt Marsh”) is unrelated to Marsh plc’s business and unlikely to affect the stock. Article Title

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.