Mizuho Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Stock Price

Key Points

• Mizuho lowered Marsh & McLennan’s price target to $190 from $201 while maintaining a neutral rating, implying roughly 9.7% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but leans toward “Hold”: the consensus target is $202.12, with ten Hold ratings, seven Buy or Strong Buy ratings, and one Sell rating.
• MRSH recently traded at $173.24 after quarterly earnings of $2.96 per share exceeded estimates, while revenue rose 6.2% year over year to $7.28 billion. Insiders sold nearly $3.6 million of stock over the past three months.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) had its price target cut by analysts at Mizuho from $201.00 to $190.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Mizuho's target price would suggest a potential upside of 9.67% from the company's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on MRSH. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Citigroup cut shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $202.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MRSH stock traded up $1.50 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $173.24. The company had a trading volume of 749,893 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,800,800. 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 has a 52 week low of $156.60 and a 52 week high of $207.82. The business's 50 day moving average price is $183.30. The stock has a market cap of $82.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.59.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total transaction of $141,174.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 16,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,242,448. This represents a 4.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total value of $1,348,929.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 16,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. This trade represents a 29.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 19,813 shares of company stock valued at $3,597,903 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MRSH. Solstein Capital LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Asset Dedication LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Canton Hathaway LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at $28,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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