Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the eighteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $203.50.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MRSH shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Citigroup cut shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Lloyd Yates sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total value of $2,107,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 12,001 shares in the company, valued at $2,107,975.65. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total value of $141,174.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,242,448. This represents 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. Insiders sold 19,813 shares of company stock valued at $3,597,903 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRSH opened at $176.91 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 12 month low of $156.60 and a 12 month high of $207.82. The firm has a market cap of $84.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $185.87.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.44 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd were paid a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.41%.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies, now operating under the name Marsh McLennan, is a global professional services firm that helps organizations manage risk, strategy and people-related challenges. Its businesses serve corporations, governments, institutional investors and other organizations across a broad range of industries and geographies.

The company’s principal businesses include Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory firm; Guy Carpenter, which provides reinsurance brokerage and related risk management services; Mercer, which offers consulting in areas such as talent, health, retirement and investments; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm.