Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Price Target Lowered to $206.00 at Barclays

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) had its price target trimmed by Barclays from $209.00 to $206.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $200.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. They issued a “hold (c)” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $211.19.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MRSH stock traded up $2.45 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $175.11. 598,710 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,074,815. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a fifty-two week low of $164.89 and a fifty-two week high of $239.34. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $174.75. The firm has a market cap of $84.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its 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 company had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.87 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRSH. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,856,000 after acquiring an additional 2,960 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.6% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $651,000 after acquiring an additional 869 shares during the last quarter. StoneX Group Inc. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.4% in the second quarter. StoneX Group Inc. now owns 1,368 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.7% in the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 19,347 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,230,000 after acquiring an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.6% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 74,523 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,294,000 after acquiring an additional 3,951 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

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.