Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seventeen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $233.41.

MMC has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 67,397 shares of company stock valued at $15,694,684. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MMC. Modera Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,885 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $281,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $163,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. now owns 5,762 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,224,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New England Professional Planning Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. New England Professional Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,261 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 5.9 %

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $229.94 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1-year low of $196.17 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $232.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $224.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.08, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. Equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be 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 of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

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.