Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Rating Lowered to Neutral at Citigroup

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) was downgraded by stock analysts at Citigroup from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. They presently have a $200.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock. Citigroup’s price objective points to a potential upside of 13.29% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $201.69.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $176.54 on Wednesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a twelve month low of $156.60 and a twelve month high of $213.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $84.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.61.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total value of $2,693,441.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,889,506.81. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $423,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,673 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,823,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, MMA Asset Management LLC increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC now owns 4,083 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $757,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.