JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Stock Price

Key Points

• JPMorgan raised Marsh & McLennan’s price target from $212 to $215 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying roughly 25% upside from the reported share price.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but broadly stable: the consensus rating is “Hold,” with an average target price of $203.69.
• The company exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $2.96 per share versus a $2.89 estimate, while revenue increased 6.2% year over year to $7.28 billion.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $212.00 to $215.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the financial services provider's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price points to a potential upside of 25.35% from the stock's current price.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $203.69.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:MRSH traded up $0.79 during trading on Thursday, hitting $171.52. 374,768 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,809,036. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1-year low of $156.60 and a 1-year high of $207.82. The firm has a market cap of $81.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $184.27.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. 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. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was 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 directly owned 12,001 shares in the company, valued at $2,107,975.65. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total value of $1,348,929.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 16,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. This represents a 29.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 19,813 shares of company stock worth $3,597,903 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,583,806,000. State Street Corp bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,140,284,000. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $1,481,896,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.