Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Stock Price

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) had its price objective lowered by Wells Fargo & Company from $229.00 to $226.00 in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the financial services provider's stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $214.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $240.29.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE:MMC traded up $1.43 on Friday, reaching $212.47. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,524,077 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,003,678. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market cap of $104.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $221.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.72. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 12-month low of $207.21 and a 12-month high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued 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 company had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.41 EPS. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 24th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.69%. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 24th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is 39.95%.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MMC. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2,775.0% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 115 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. City Holding Co. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 61.0% during the 1st quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

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.