Brokerages Set Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Price Target at $225.33

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $225.33.

Several equities analysts have commented on MMC shares. Bank of America upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $232.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $236.00 price target on the stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $219.10 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $225.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $216.27. The company has a market capitalization of $107.60 billion, a PE ratio of 26.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 52 week low of $184.28 and a 52 week high of $232.32.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.71 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 16.82%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 8.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 4th will be issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 4th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.15%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 5,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.03, for a total value of $1,170,156.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 33,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,578,560.34. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total value of $553,875.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 48,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 5,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.03, for a total value of $1,170,156.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 33,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,578,560.34. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,917,270 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,046,079,000 after purchasing an additional 119,236 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.7% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,624,073 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,188,348,000 after purchasing an additional 380,828 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.2% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,530,716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $954,712,000 after purchasing an additional 223,257 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.7% in the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,409,110 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $718,368,000 after acquiring an additional 58,461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jensen Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.3% in the second quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,226,258 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $679,837,000 after acquiring an additional 40,182 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a professional services company, provides advice and solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide. It operates through Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment offers risk management services, such as risk advice, risk transfer, and risk control and mitigation solutions, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking, strategic advisory services, and analytics solutions, and insurance program management services.