Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Cuts Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Price Target to $214.00

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) had its price objective reduced by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $215.00 to $214.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an underperform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on MMC. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 7th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $240.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE MMC opened at $211.62 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $222.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $224.68. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a twelve month low of $207.21 and a twelve month high of $248.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The company has a market capitalization of $104.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.93, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.80.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.19% and a net margin of 16.13%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.89 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 24th. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.95%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 45,321,445 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,059,792,000 after purchasing an additional 581,930 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 54.2% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,814,788 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,127,193,000 after buying an additional 4,505,548 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,050,565 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,554,841,000 after acquiring an additional 145,134 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,151,020 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,156,179,000 after acquiring an additional 96,750 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,934,340 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,260,513,000 after acquiring an additional 726,713 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

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.