Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Price Target Raised to $218.00

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) had its price objective raised by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $215.00 to $218.00 in a report released on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target indicates a potential upside of 14.42% from the company’s previous close.

MRSH has been the subject of several other research reports. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $179.00 to $178.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $204.42.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRSH traded up $2.02 on Tuesday, hitting $190.52. The stock had a trading volume of 332,369 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,803,147. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a twelve month low of $156.60 and a twelve month high of $198.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The company has a 50 day moving average of $181.14. The company has a market cap of $90.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.59.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.20% and a return on equity of 33.32%. The firm had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.45 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total transaction of $141,174.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 16,376 shares in the company, valued at $3,242,448. This represents a 4.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total value of $1,348,929.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,159,913.68. This trade represents a 29.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 19,813 shares of company stock valued at $3,597,903 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MRSH. Continuum Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.3% in the first quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 1,452 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $252,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.6% in the first quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 668 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $116,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Kintegral Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Kintegral Advisory LLC now owns 14,387 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,456,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Columbia Bank lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.1% during the first quarter. Columbia Bank now owns 1,736 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 37.4% during the 2nd quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 312 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies is a global professional services firm that provides advice and solutions in risk, strategy and people. The company serves businesses, governments and institutions through a portfolio of specialized businesses focused on insurance brokerage, reinsurance, consulting and talent management.

Its principal businesses include Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory firm; Guy Carpenter, a provider of reinsurance brokerage and related risk-management services; Mercer, which offers consulting in investment, retirement, health and workforce strategy; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm serving clients across industries and regions.

Founded in 1905, Marsh & McLennan serves clients in countries and markets around the world.