Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Stock Gets Price Target Increase from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) had its price objective raised by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $212.00 to $215.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price indicates a potential upside of 25.35% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Citigroup downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.69.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MRSH traded up $0.79 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $171.52. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 374,768 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,809,036. The company has a market cap of $81.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $184.27. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 52-week low of $156.60 and a 52-week high of $207.82.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The company had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. The firm’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total transaction of $2,107,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 12,001 shares in the company, valued at $2,107,975.65. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total transaction of $141,174.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,242,448. The trade was a 4.17% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 19,813 shares of company stock worth $3,597,903 in the last ninety days. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Andra AP fonden boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.4% during the second quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 60,610 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,102,000 after purchasing an additional 5,200 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 229.6% during the 2nd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 356 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $188,098,000. Capital Analysts LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 37.4% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 312 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, RFG Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $203,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies, now operating under the name Marsh McLennan, is a global professional services firm that provides advice and solutions in risk, strategy and people. The company serves businesses, governments and institutions through four principal businesses: Marsh, Guy Carpenter, Mercer and Oliver Wyman.

Marsh is an insurance brokerage and risk adviser that helps clients identify, manage and transfer risk. Guy Carpenter provides reinsurance brokerage and advisory services to insurance companies.