Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Sets New 52-Week Low - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Shares hit a new 52-week low at $163.83 on Wednesday, while analysts carry a consensus “Hold” rating and an average target of $205, suggesting notable upside from current levels.
• Marsh & McLennan beat Q1 estimates with $3.29 EPS (vs. $3.21 expected) and revenue up 7.6% year‑over‑year, and it announced a $0.90 quarterly dividend (a 2.2% yield).
• CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares in March (reducing his stake ~12.5%); insiders own only 0.38% of shares while institutional investors hold about 88%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $163.83 and last traded at $164.5160, with a volume of 1926734 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $167.27.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on MRSH shares. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $193.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Raymond James Financial raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $205.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $79.07 billion, a PE ratio of 20.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a fifty day moving average of $172.92. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.36 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is 45.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Numerai GP LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 966.2% during the third quarter. Numerai GP LLC now owns 37,220 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,501,000 after purchasing an additional 33,729 shares during the last quarter. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 801.6% during the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 12,073 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,433,000 after purchasing an additional 10,734 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 41.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,202,372 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $443,844,000 after buying an additional 647,987 shares during the period. Navera Investment Management Ltd. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.0% during the third quarter. Navera Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,623,960 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $327,303,000 after buying an additional 105,954 shares during the period. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.4% during the third quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 76,196 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $15,356,000 after buying an additional 3,177 shares during the period. 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.

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