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

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $214.25.

A number of analysts have weighed in on MMC shares. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $189.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Roth Mkm increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $185.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $477,180.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,861 shares in the company, valued at $2,609,420. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.01, for a total transaction of $1,254,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 53,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,159,670.93. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $477,180.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,609,420. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,338 shares of company stock worth $2,187,012. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Westover Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Westover Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $349,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 1,258 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $238,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. RDA Financial Network grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. RDA Financial Network now owns 1,762 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $363,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Optas LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,880 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $387,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich now owns 5,827 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,227,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE:MMC opened at $217.97 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $212.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $204.95. The company has a market capitalization of $107.19 billion, a PE ratio of 27.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 52-week low of $184.02 and a 52-week high of $221.71.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.01. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.92% and a net margin of 16.97%. The company had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.20 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 8.72 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Monday, July 15th will be paid a $0.815 dividend. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 25th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.50%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 41.37%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.