Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSHGet Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the nineteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $203.50.

MRSH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. UBS Group raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th.

Read Our Latest Analysis on MRSH

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total value of $141,174.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,242,448. This represents a 4.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total value of $1,348,929.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 16,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,159,913.68. The trade was a 29.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 19,813 shares of company stock valued at $3,597,903. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,856,000 after acquiring an additional 2,960 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.6% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $651,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares during the period. Glenview Trust co boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.8% during the second quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 3,897 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $852,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 18,440.0% in the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $203,000 after purchasing an additional 922 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,307,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MRSH opened at $176.94 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a fifty-two week low of $156.60 and a fifty-two week high of $207.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.63, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $185.83.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSHGet Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The company’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 23rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 48.41%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Marsh & McLennan Companies, now operating under the name Marsh McLennan, is a global professional services firm that helps organizations manage risk, strategy and people-related challenges. Its businesses serve corporations, governments, institutional investors and other organizations across a broad range of industries and geographies.

The company’s principal businesses include Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory firm; Guy Carpenter, which provides reinsurance brokerage and related risk management services; Mercer, which offers consulting in areas such as talent, health, retirement and investments; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm.

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Analyst Recommendations for Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH)

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