Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Now Covered by Wolfe Research

Key Points

• Investment analysts at Wolfe Research have initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies, assigning a "peer perform" rating to the stock.
• Other research firms have varied ratings for Marsh & McLennan, with Citigroup setting a "neutral" rating and a price target of $226, while Cantor Fitzgerald assigned an "overweight" rating with a target of $256.
• Marsh & McLennan recently reported a 12.1% year-over-year revenue increase and a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.72, exceeding the consensus estimate of $2.66.

Investment analysts at Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage set a "peer perform" rating on the financial services provider's stock.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on MMC. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price target on the stock. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $238.76.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 2.4%

NYSE:MMC opened at $198.01 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $206.55 and a 200-day moving average of $219.97. The company has a market cap of $97.35 billion, a PE ratio of 23.74, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.81. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a one year low of $196.27 and a one year high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total transaction of $4,334,896.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,031,597.65. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2,775.0% in the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 115 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 363.3% during the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 139 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc is a professional services firm, which engages in offering clients advice and solutions in risk, strategy, and people. It operates through the Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment is involved in risk management activities, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking and services.

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