Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Given New $222.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Key Points

• UBS raised Marsh & McLennan’s price target to $222 from $216 and maintained a “buy” rating, implying roughly 29% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: the stock carries a consensus “hold” rating and an average price target of $204.06, with ratings spanning strong buy to sell.
• Marsh & McLennan reported quarterly EPS of $2.96, exceeding estimates of $2.89, while revenue rose 6.2% year over year to $7.28 billion. Shares recently traded at $172, and insiders sold nearly $3.6 million of stock over the past 90 days.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by stock analysts at UBS Group from $216.00 to $222.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the financial services provider's stock. UBS Group's price objective points to a potential upside of 29.07% from the stock's previous close.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on MRSH. Citigroup lowered Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Mizuho upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $204.06.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of MRSH traded up $1.57 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $172.00. 450,935 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,803,637. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a twelve month low of $156.60 and a twelve month high of $207.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The business's 50-day moving average is $183.71. The firm has a market cap of $82.08 billion, a PE ratio of 21.04, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.59.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total transaction of $141,174.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 16,376 shares in the company, valued at $3,242,448. This represents a 4.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the 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. The trade was a 29.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 19,813 shares of company stock valued at $3,597,903. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $6,583,806,000. State Street Corp acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,057,682,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $843,311,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $793,777,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $715,765,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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