Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Price Target Lowered to $190.00 at Morgan Stanley

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) had its price target cut by Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $190.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on MRSH. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, January 30th. 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. Raymond James Financial upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Mizuho reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $199.00 target price (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $211.75.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE MRSH traded up $1.23 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $175.84. 271,592 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,101,833. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1-year low of $164.89 and a 1-year high of $239.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $175.70. The stock has a market cap of $85.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.75.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.60% and a net margin of 15.42%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.87 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.35% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MRSH. Numerai GP LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 966.2% in the third quarter. Numerai GP LLC now owns 37,220 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,501,000 after buying an additional 33,729 shares during the period. Rockland Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 801.6% during the 3rd quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 12,073 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,433,000 after acquiring an additional 10,734 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 41.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,202,372 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $443,844,000 after acquiring an additional 647,987 shares during the period. Navera Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 105,954 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. boosted 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 worth $15,356,000 after purchasing an additional 3,177 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.