Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Stock Rating Upgraded by Royal Bank Of Canada

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) was upgraded by research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $243.00 to $237.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 17th. UBS Group cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $258.00 to $257.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $222.00 to $212.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $248.00 to $242.00 in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $224.56.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MMC stock opened at $182.66 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $189.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $205.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.78. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1 year low of $174.18 and a 1 year high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.60% and a return on equity of 31.79%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.63 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total value of $4,334,896.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at $18,031,597.65. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth about $1,328,587,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 54.2% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,814,788 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,127,193,000 after acquiring an additional 4,505,548 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,038,594,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 48,212.9% in the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,629,187 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $574,845,000 after acquiring an additional 2,623,745 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Soundwatch Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth $560,820,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.