Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Hold" by the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $241.93.

Several brokerages have weighed in on MMC. UBS Group lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Barclays increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, February 6th.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MMC opened at $219.61 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company has a market cap of $108.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.81, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 12 month low of $196.72 and a 12 month high of $248.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $232.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.70.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.89 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.95%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 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 transaction of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $75,000. Virtu Financial LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.3% in the third quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 12,756 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,846,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 10,499 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,329,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 487.5% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 517 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $115,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 29.9% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,223 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,842,000 after purchasing an additional 3,962 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.

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