Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Price Target Raised to $201.00

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) had its target price hoisted by Mizuho from $197.00 to $201.00 in a research note published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on MRSH. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of 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, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. One investment 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, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $201.69.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 2.4%

NYSE:MRSH opened at $180.66 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $86.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 12 month low of $156.60 and a 12 month high of $213.80.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be issued a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MRSH. Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $423,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,673 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,823,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, MMA Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC now owns 4,083 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $757,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. 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.