Analysts Set Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Target Price at $233.41

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the seventeen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $233.41.

MMC has been the subject of several research reports. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 67,397 shares of company stock worth $15,694,684 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MMC opened at $229.94 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a twelve month low of $196.17 and a twelve month high of $248.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $232.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $224.54. The firm has a market cap of $112.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 39.80%.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.