Analysts Set Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Target Price at $230.44

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the sixteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have issued a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $230.44.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MMC. Roth Mkm lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE MMC opened at $227.45 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $216.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $221.60. The company has a market capitalization of $111.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 52 week low of $194.50 and a 52 week high of $235.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 285 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,885 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $281,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $163,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New England Professional Planning Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. New England Professional Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,261 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc is a professional services firm, which engages in offering clients advice and solutions in risk, strategy, and people. It operates through the Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment is involved in risk management activities, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking and services.