Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) Given Consensus Rating 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. The average 12-month price target is $201.94.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $2.96, exceeding estimates of $2.89, while revenue rose 6.2% year over year to $7.28 billion.
• Marsh & McLennan increased its quarterly dividend from $0.90 to $0.99 per share, implying an annualized dividend of $3.96 and a 2.1% yield; insiders have sold about $6.29 million of shares over the past 90 days.

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Hold" by the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have issued a hold recommendation, five have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $201.9375.

MRSH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective 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. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 6th.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 shares were sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total transaction of $1,348,929.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,159,913.68. The trade was a 29.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345. 0.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.7%

NYSE:MRSH opened at $190.33 on Tuesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a twelve month low of $156.60 and a twelve month high of $213.80. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $175.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.27, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.59.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 48.41%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.

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