Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.06, Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.92 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 16.00%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.41 EPS.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $212.47 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $221.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.20. The company has a market cap of $104.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.48, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.80. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a one year low of $207.21 and a one year high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 24th will be given a dividend of $0.90 per share. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 24th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.69%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MMC. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $214.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Barclays lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $240.29.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies stock. Bison Wealth LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 39.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 869 shares during the quarter. Bison Wealth LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $651,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

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.