Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Analyst Says

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) had its price target hoisted by investment analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $210.00 to $220.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "underperform" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' target price suggests a potential downside of 7.36% from the stock's current price.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on MMC. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $236.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC traded up $4.13 on Wednesday, hitting $237.47. The company had a trading volume of 796,922 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,846,523. The company has a market cap of $117.05 billion, a PE ratio of 29.00, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a 50 day moving average of $232.84 and a 200 day moving average of $224.62. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 52-week low of $196.17 and a 52-week high of $248.00. 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 (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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, equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 value of $11,367,602.40. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the 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 $1,673,221.37. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $4,919,096.95. The trade was a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by 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.