Morgan Stanley Cuts Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Price Target to $180.00

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) had its target price cut by Morgan Stanley from $200.00 to $180.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Citigroup downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $202.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.7%

MRSH stock opened at $176.54 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market cap of $84.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.58, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.59. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $182.52. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 52-week low of $156.60 and a 52-week high of $207.82.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The company had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.43 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 48.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, Director Lloyd Yates sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total value of $2,107,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 12,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,107,975.65. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total value of $1,348,929.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 16,632 shares in the company, 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 ninety days, insiders sold 19,813 shares of company stock worth $3,597,903. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MRSH. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 25.1% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 9,912 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,692,000 after buying an additional 1,991 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 25.7% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 9,480 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,619,000 after acquiring an additional 1,937 shares during the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 23.8% during the 3rd quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 1,828 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,494 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,109,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 479.3% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 12,091 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,064,000 after purchasing an additional 10,004 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, now operating under the name Marsh McLennan, is a global professional services firm that provides advice and solutions in risk, strategy and people. The company serves businesses, governments and institutions through four principal businesses: Marsh, Guy Carpenter, Mercer and Oliver Wyman.

Marsh is an insurance brokerage and risk adviser that helps clients identify, manage and transfer risk. Guy Carpenter provides reinsurance brokerage and advisory services to insurance companies.