Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Stock Price

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) had its price objective hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $212.00 to $223.00 in a research note released on Friday,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

MMC has been the subject of a number of other research reports. UBS Group lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $229.40.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 1.8 %

MMC stock opened at $216.90 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $217.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $221.38. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a fifty-two week low of $190.41 and a fifty-two week high of $235.50. The firm has a market cap of $106.52 billion, a PE ratio of 26.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 32.65%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 8.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.50%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 40.15%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% during the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.