Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Sets New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $232.72 and last traded at $230.71, with a volume of 78870 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $227.82.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $232.00 to $242.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $227.60.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $113.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.94. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $223.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $219.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.02. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 16.82%. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.71 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th were issued a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 40.15%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total value of $553,875.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 48,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,756,030.95. This represents a 4.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% in the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 712.5% in the second quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 195 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a professional services company, provides advice and solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide. It operates through Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment offers risk management services, such as risk advice, risk transfer, and risk control and mitigation solutions, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking, strategic advisory services, and analytics solutions, and insurance program management services.