Morgan Stanley Cuts Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Price Target to $180.00

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley lowered Marsh & McLennan’s price target to $180 from $200 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating, implying roughly 5% upside from the stock’s $171.51 price.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: MarketBeat reports an overall “Hold” rating and an average price target of $202.81, with JPMorgan maintaining an “overweight” rating and Citigroup downgrading the stock to “neutral.”
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $2.96, beating estimates of $2.89, while revenue rose 6.2% year over year to $7.28 billion; institutional investors own approximately 88% of the shares.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) had its target price dropped by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $200.00 to $180.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective indicates a potential upside of 4.95% from the stock's current price.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Erste Group Bank raised Marsh & McLennan Companies to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Citigroup cut Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Mizuho raised their price target 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, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $202.81.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded up $1.08 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $171.51. The stock had a trading volume of 602,469 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,804,582. 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 market cap of $81.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.97, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.59. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1 year low of $156.60 and a 1 year high of $207.82. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $183.71.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. The firm 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%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 16,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. The trade was a 29.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 16,376 shares in the company, valued at $3,242,448. The trade was a 4.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 19,813 shares of company stock valued at $3,597,903. Corporate 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 made changes to their positions in the business. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.3% during the first quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 1,452 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $252,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.6% in 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 during the period. Columbia Bank raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.1% in the first quarter. Columbia Bank now owns 1,736 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Capital Analysts LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 37.4% in the second quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 312 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 26.8% in the 2nd quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp now owns 454 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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