Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Stock Price

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley has reduced its target price for Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00, maintaining an "equal weight" rating, which suggests a potential upside of 6.16% from the current price.
• Other analysts have also assigned varying price targets, with Citigroup setting a target of $226.00 and Cantor Fitzgerald at $256.00, while the consensus target price stands at $238.47.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings exceeded expectations, reporting $2.72 per share against a consensus estimate of $2.66, with a revenue increase of 12.1% year-over-year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) had its target price dropped by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $220.00 to $215.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target indicates a potential upside of 6.16% from the company's current price.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price target for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $238.47.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded up $1.18 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $202.52. The stock had a trading volume of 313,223 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,250,413. The firm's fifty day moving average is $202.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $216.30. The company has a market capitalization of $99.56 billion, a PE ratio of 24.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.81. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 52-week low of $195.01 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

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

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

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

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth $28,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in 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 during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 363.3% in the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 139 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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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