UBS Group Lowers Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Price Target to $257.00

Key Points

• UBS Group has reduced its price target for Marsh & McLennan Companies from $258.00 to $257.00, maintaining a "buy" rating, which indicates a potential upside of 25.53% from its last closing price.
• Multiple brokerages have revised their price targets for Marsh & McLennan, with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods setting it at $210.00 and Barclays at $221.00, reflecting varied outlooks by analysts.
• The company reported earnings of $2.72 per share in its last quarter, surpassing expectations and demonstrating a 12.1% revenue increase year-over-year, totaling $6.97 billion.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by investment analysts at UBS Group from $258.00 to $257.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the financial services provider's stock. UBS Group's price target would suggest a potential upside of 25.53% from the company's previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on MMC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 21st. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $233.00 to $221.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $237.47.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded up $0.90 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $204.74. 2,656,111 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,326,168. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1 year low of $195.01 and a 1 year high of $248.00. The company has a market capitalization of $100.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.81. The business has a fifty day moving average of $202.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $216.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total value of $4,334,896.35. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares of the company's stock, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Genesis Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 22.5% in the 3rd quarter. Genesis Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,606 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 295 shares during the period. Marshall Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 4,231 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $853,000 after acquiring an additional 287 shares during the period. Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 16.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. now owns 37,477 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,553,000 after acquiring an additional 5,206 shares during the period. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 124,863 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,164,000 after acquiring an additional 4,423 shares during the period. Finally, Ignite Planners LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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