Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Price Target Cut to $178.00 by Analysts at Wells Fargo & Company

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) had its price target cut by Wells Fargo & Company from $203.00 to $178.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Evercore dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $199.00 price objective (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, January 29th. They issued a “hold (c)” rating on the stock. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $209.63.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MRSH traded down $1.65 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $174.17. 135,759 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,050,775. The stock has a market cap of $84.32 billion, a PE ratio of 20.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.75. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 52-week low of $164.89 and a 52-week high of $239.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company’s 50 day moving average is $174.39.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.87 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 42.70%.

Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRSH. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,856,000 after acquiring an additional 2,960 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.6% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $651,000 after acquiring an additional 869 shares during the period. StoneX Group Inc. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.4% during the second quarter. StoneX Group Inc. now owns 1,368 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $299,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth $394,000. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth $2,110,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.