Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Redburn Atlantic

Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) in a research report report published on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $281.00 target price on the financial services provider’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $233.41.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MMC stock opened at $236.78 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $228.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $223.84. The stock has a market cap of $116.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1 year low of $196.17 and a 1 year high of $241.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. Research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total transaction of $11,367,602.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,520,202.64. This trade represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MMC. 111 Capital purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $459,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 51,333 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,904,000 after acquiring an additional 2,690 shares during the last quarter. Members Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $344,000. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $380,000. Finally, Anchor Pointe Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $234,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.