Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Hits New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Roth Mkm raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday. Finally, Barclays upped 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 note on Thursday, November 21st. Two investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $227.60.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $223.66 and a 200-day moving average of $219.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.94. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total transaction of $553,875.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 48,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. The trade was a 4.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. grew its stake 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 in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% during the second 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 last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

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.