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

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $230.44.

Several equities analysts recently commented on MMC shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MMC opened at $231.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $216.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $221.83. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a one year low of $195.99 and a one year high of $235.50. The company has a market cap of $113.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. Equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% in the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 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.