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

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Hold — 17 analysts rate MRSH on average as a "Hold" (1 sell, 10 holds, 5 buys, 1 strong buy) with a 12‑month average price target of about $205.33.
• Insider sale: CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares at an average $183.30 on March 4, reducing his stake by 12.48%; company insiders now own 0.38% of the stock.
• Operational update: Marsh & McLennan reported Q results of $3.29 EPS vs. $3.21 expected and revenue of $7.30B (up 7.6% YoY), and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.90 ($3.60 annualized, ~2.2% yield).

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the seventeen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have issued a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $205.3333.

MRSH has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,643,309,000 after purchasing an additional 387,100 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.5% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,702,898 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,567,410,000 after buying an additional 92,767 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $2,967,927,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MRSH opened at $166.38 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $173.42. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a fifty-two week low of $164.89 and a fifty-two week high of $235.78. The stock has a market cap of $80.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 31.87%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is presently 45.00%.

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.