Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Rating Increased to Buy at Citigroup

Key Points

• Citigroup upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) from "neutral" to Buy with a $200 price target, implying about a 19.5% upside from the current price.
• Analyst coverage is mixed—one Strong Buy, six Buy, nine Hold and one Sell—giving a MarketBeat consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target of $205.
• Marsh & McLennan recently beat Q1 estimates with $3.29 EPS vs. $3.21 expected and $7.30B revenue (up 7.6% YoY); the stock trades with a market cap of ~$80.6B, a P/E around 20.9, and a 52-week range of $164.89–$235.78.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Citigroup from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a $200.00 price objective on the financial services provider's stock. Citigroup's target price indicates a potential upside of 19.54% from the stock's current price.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Evercore lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $205.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $167.30 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The business's fifty day moving average is $173.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.65. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a fifty-two week low of $164.89 and a fifty-two week high of $235.78.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

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.