Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Stock Price

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) had its target price lowered by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $200.00 to $180.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 4.95% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on MRSH. Citigroup downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. UBS Group lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $202.81.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE MRSH traded up $1.08 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $171.51. 602,469 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,804,582. The firm has a market cap of $81.85 billion, a PE ratio of 20.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.59. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 12-month low of $156.60 and a 12-month high of $207.82. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $183.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total transaction of $1,348,929.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. This represents a 29.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 12,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,107,975.65. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 19,813 shares of company stock valued at $3,597,903 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MRSH. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,141 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $366,000 after buying an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. Andra AP fonden grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.4% in the 2nd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 60,610 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,102,000 after purchasing an additional 5,200 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 229.6% in the 2nd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 356 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth approximately $188,098,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 37.4% in the second quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 312 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies, now operating under the name Marsh McLennan, is a global professional services firm that provides advice and solutions in risk, strategy and people. The company serves businesses, governments and institutions through four principal businesses: Marsh, Guy Carpenter, Mercer and Oliver Wyman.

Marsh is an insurance brokerage and risk adviser that helps clients identify, manage and transfer risk. Guy Carpenter provides reinsurance brokerage and advisory services to insurance companies.