Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Receives $233.41 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seventeen analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $233.41.

MMC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded 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 research report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective on the stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC opened at $243.95 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $230.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $224.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $119.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $245.98.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. As a group, analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the business’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 value of $309,455.49. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MMC. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 53.6% during the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 10,130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,260,000 after purchasing an additional 3,535 shares during the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth $313,000. Fiduciary Trust Co increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 49.3% during the third quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 12,883 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,874,000 after purchasing an additional 4,253 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.7% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 85,793 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,140,000 after acquiring an additional 2,268 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Counselors Inc. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 2,894 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $646,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. 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.