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

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the nineteen brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $222.3529.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MMC. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Barclays upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $221.00 to $206.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $181.00 target price (down previously from $243.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $211.00 to $201.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $209.00 to $191.00 in a research report on Friday, October 17th.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MMC opened at $187.10 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $183.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $198.36. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1-year low of $174.18 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The firm has a market cap of $91.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.75.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.60% and a return on equity of 31.79%. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.63 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.22, for a total value of $3,841,015.38. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,977,231.82. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,856,000 after buying an additional 2,960 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.6% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $651,000 after acquiring an additional 869 shares during the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth $4,254,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $72,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.9% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 132,155 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,250,000 after purchasing an additional 8,570 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC) is a global professional services firm headquartered in New York City that provides advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and people. Founded in 1905, the company has grown into a diversified group of businesses focused on insurance brokerage and risk management, reinsurance, human capital and investment consulting, and management consulting. Its long history and scale position it as a prominent adviser to corporations, governments and other institutions seeking to manage risk and optimize human and financial capital.

The firm operates through several well-known subsidiaries and business units that specialize in distinct services.