Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Hold” consensus on Marsh & McLennan, with 11 hold, five buy, one strong-buy and one sell rating among 18 firms. The average 12-month price target is $203.50, above the reported share price of $185.80.
• The company exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $2.96 in EPS versus $2.89 expected and $7.28 billion in revenue, up 6.2% year over year. Analysts project full-year EPS of $10.44.
• Marsh & McLennan raised its quarterly dividend from $0.90 to $0.99 per share, equivalent to a $3.96 annualized dividend and a 2.1% yield. Insiders sold approximately $3.6 million of stock during the latest quarter, while institutions own nearly 88% of shares.

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the eighteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $203.50.

MRSH has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley raised 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. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of MRSH opened at $185.80 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $88.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.71, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.58. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $185.10. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a fifty-two week low of $156.60 and a fifty-two week high of $207.82.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd were issued a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 transaction of $2,107,800.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 12,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total value of $141,174.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 16,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,242,448. This represents a 4.17% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 19,813 shares of company stock worth $3,597,903 over the last quarter. 0.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MRSH. Solstein Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies NYSE: MMC is a global professional services firm headquartered in New York City that provides advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and people. Founded in 1905, the company has grown into a diversified group of businesses focused on insurance brokerage and risk management, reinsurance, human capital and investment consulting, and management consulting. Its long history and scale position it as a prominent adviser to corporations, governments and other institutions seeking to manage risk and optimize human and financial capital.

The firm operates through several well-known subsidiaries and business units that specialize in distinct services.

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.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source