Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Price Target Raised to $200.00

Key Points

• Mizuho raised Marsh & McLennan’s price target to $200 from $190 while maintaining a neutral rating, implying approximately 6.07% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but leans neutral: the stock has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average target price of $204.05.
• The company exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $2.03 in EPS versus a $1.96 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 8.1% year over year to $6.86 billion.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by stock analysts at Mizuho from $190.00 to $200.00 in a report released on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Mizuho's target price suggests a potential upside of 6.07% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $191.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. UBS Group raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $179.00 to $178.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $193.00 to $188.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised Marsh & McLennan Companies to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $204.05.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MRSH traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $188.55. The stock had a trading volume of 919,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,810,063. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.98 billion, a PE ratio of 22.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.59. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1-year low of $156.60 and a 1-year high of $198.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $181.17.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.20% and a return on equity of 33.32%. The firm had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Lloyd Yates sold 12,000 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director owned 12,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,107,975.65. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. This represents a 29.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 19,813 shares of company stock worth $3,597,903. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Continuum Advisory LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.3% in the first quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 1,452 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $252,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 668 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Kintegral Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Kintegral Advisory LLC now owns 14,387 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,456,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Columbia Bank boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Columbia Bank now owns 1,736 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 37.4% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 312 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies is a global professional services firm that provides advice and solutions in risk, strategy and people. The company serves businesses, governments and institutions through a portfolio of specialized businesses focused on insurance brokerage, reinsurance, consulting and talent management.

Its principal businesses include Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory firm; Guy Carpenter, a provider of reinsurance brokerage and related risk-management services; Mercer, which offers consulting in investment, retirement, health and workforce strategy; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm serving clients across industries and regions.

Founded in 1905, Marsh & McLennan serves clients in countries and markets around the world.

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