Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.12 EPS

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) released its earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12, Zacks reports. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 32.65%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC stock traded up $0.64 on Thursday, reaching $219.14. 913,056 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,973,350. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 12 month low of $190.41 and a 12 month high of $235.50. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $217.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $221.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $107.62 billion, a PE ratio of 26.99, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Roth Mkm raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.60.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.