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

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $200.1875.

MRSH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target 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. Citigroup upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE MRSH opened at $161.96 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $78.24 billion, a PE ratio of 20.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a one year low of $156.60 and a one year high of $220.32.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the business’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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $3,140,284,000. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,967,927,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,710,101,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.