UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Stock Price

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) had its price target hoisted by equities researchers at UBS Group from $212.00 to $216.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. UBS Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 17.26% from the stock’s previous close.

MRSH has been the topic of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings lowered Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $201.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.9%

MRSH traded up $3.47 on Monday, hitting $184.21. The company had a trading volume of 956,116 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,920,375. The firm has a market cap of $87.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.61. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 12-month low of $156.60 and a 12-month high of $213.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.41 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total value of $2,693,441.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $18,889,506.81. 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 is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,643,309,000 after purchasing an additional 387,100 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $3,140,284,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $2,967,927,000. Institutional investors 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.