Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Price Target Raised to $216.00

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) had its target price lifted by UBS Group from $212.00 to $216.00 in a report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on MRSH. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Barclays cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Citigroup lowered Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $201.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 2.8%

NYSE:MRSH opened at $197.56 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $94.28 billion, a PE ratio of 24.15, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $172.40. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 52 week low of $156.60 and a 52 week high of $213.80.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The company had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total transaction of $2,107,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 12,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,107,975.65. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total value of $2,693,441.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 35,756 shares of company stock worth $6,150,171. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRSH. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 134,542 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $24,960,000 after acquiring an additional 11,648 shares during the period. Essex LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,891,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.6% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 88,934 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,499,000 after purchasing an additional 15,166 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,643,309,000 after purchasing an additional 387,100 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 26.6% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 35,293 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,549,000 after purchasing an additional 7,418 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC) is a global professional services firm headquartered in New York City that provides advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and people. Founded in 1905, the company has grown into a diversified group of businesses focused on insurance brokerage and risk management, reinsurance, human capital and investment consulting, and management consulting. Its long history and scale position it as a prominent adviser to corporations, governments and other institutions seeking to manage risk and optimize human and financial capital.

The firm operates through several well-known subsidiaries and business units that specialize in distinct services.