Mizuho Issues Positive Forecast for Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Stock Price

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) had its price target upped by Mizuho from $200.00 to $218.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on MRSH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. UBS Group upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $191.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $206.79.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded up $1.77 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $207.46. 1,823,985 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,267,589. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The firm has a market cap of $98.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.82, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.53. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $185.49. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 12 month low of $156.60 and a 12 month high of $214.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.20% and a return on equity of 33.32%. The business had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st were issued a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 1st. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Dean Klisura sold 4,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $838,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $4,187,000. The trade was a 16.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $243,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,705 shares in the company, valued at $541,000. This represents a 30.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,583,806,000. Ninety One UK Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 41.8% in the third quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 5,632,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $961,671,000 after buying an additional 1,661,178 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth $685,621,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 25.3% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,454,586 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $599,198,000 after buying an additional 697,541 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth $575,845,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, now known as Marsh, is a professional services firm focused on risk, strategy and people. Its businesses help organizations assess and manage risk, arrange insurance and reinsurance, and address workforce and organizational challenges. The company operates through Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory business; Guy Carpenter, which specializes in reinsurance and related risk services; Mercer, which provides health, wealth and career consulting; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm.