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

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $230.44.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MMC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.7 %

MMC opened at $239.53 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $221.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $222.97. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1-year low of $196.17 and a 1-year high of $239.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $117.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. Analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% during the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. 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.