Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Price Target Raised to $201.00

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) had its target price boosted by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $186.00 to $201.00 in a research note released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a market perform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

MRSH has been the topic of several other research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Evercore lowered their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $234.00 to $224.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $179.00 to $178.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $204.42.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE MRSH opened at $190.61 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $181.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.59. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1-year low of $156.60 and a 1-year high of $198.49.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.37%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total value of $1,348,929.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 16,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. The trade was a 29.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total value of $141,174.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 16,376 shares in the company, valued at $3,242,448. The trade was a 4.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth $6,583,806,000. Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at $66,475,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at about $685,621,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at about $575,845,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at about $532,438,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

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.