Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Price Target Raised to $200.00

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised Marsh & McLennan’s price target to $200 from $180 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating, implying 7.25% upside. The broader analyst consensus remains “Hold,” with an average target of $203.50.
• Shares opened at $186.49 and were trading up 1.2%; the company recently beat quarterly earnings expectations with $2.96 in EPS versus a $2.89 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 6.2% year over year to $7.28 billion.
• Insiders sold 36,469 shares worth about $6.29 million over the past 90 days, while institutional investors own approximately 87.99% of the stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) had its price objective boosted by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $180.00 to $200.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Morgan Stanley's target price would suggest a potential upside of 7.25% from the stock's previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Citigroup downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $203.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.2%

MRSH opened at $186.49 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 12-month low of $156.60 and a 12-month high of $213.80. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $178.52. The stock has a market cap of $88.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.80, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.59.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,889,506.81. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,376 shares in the company, valued at $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 36,469 shares of company stock valued at $6,291,345 over the last ninety days. 0.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,643,309,000 after acquiring an additional 387,100 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $6,583,806,000. State Street Corp acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $3,482,557,000. Finally, Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $3,140,284,000. 87.99% of the stock is 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.

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