Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the fifteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $228.13.

MMC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 25th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total value of $553,875.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 48,549 shares in the company, valued at $10,756,030.95. The trade was a 4.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% in the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC opened at $209.89 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $103.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.85, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1 year low of $184.28 and a 1 year high of $235.50. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $223.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $220.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.71 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 16.82%. The business’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 8.68 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a professional services company, provides advice and solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide. It operates through Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment offers risk management services, such as risk advice, risk transfer, and risk control and mitigation solutions, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking, strategic advisory services, and analytics solutions, and insurance program management services.