Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Analyst Says

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) had its price target boosted by analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $212.00 to $214.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “underperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 2.14% from the company’s previous close.

MMC has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped 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. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $228.60.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded down $1.84 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $209.51. 868,004 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,308,612. The company’s fifty day moving average is $219.72 and its 200-day moving average is $221.03. The firm has a market cap of $102.89 billion, a PE ratio of 25.80, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.96. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 52 week low of $188.31 and a 52 week high of $235.50. 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 (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.02. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 32.65%. The business had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 8.68 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. The trade was a 4.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Bangor Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $55,000. 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.