Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $230.44.

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Barclays lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. UBS Group raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, 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.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC opened at $228.12 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 12-month low of $194.94 and a 12-month high of $235.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.96. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $216.71 and its 200-day moving average is $221.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

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 return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.43%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 39.80%.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 30,008 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,374,000 after purchasing an additional 6,360 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 10,970 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,330,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 544.4% in the fourth quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 3,628 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $771,000 after buying an additional 3,065 shares in the last quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 145.0% during the fourth quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE now owns 8,688 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,846,000 after acquiring an additional 5,142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,739,515 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,503,120,000 after acquiring an additional 356,618 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

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.