Marsh (NYSE:MRSH) Receives “Sector Perform” Rating from Royal Bank Of Canada

Royal Bank Of Canada restated their sector perform rating on shares of Marsh (NYSE:MRSH) in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. Royal Bank Of Canada currently has a $200.00 target price on the stock.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on MRSH. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Marsh from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Marsh from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $199.33.

Marsh Stock Up 0.2%

MRSH stock opened at $188.21 on Friday. Marsh has a one year low of $174.18 and a one year high of $248.00. The stock has a market cap of $92.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.27, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

Marsh (NYSE:MRSH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.52 billion. Marsh had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.87 earnings per share.

Marsh Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 29th will be given a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 29th. Marsh’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.70%.

Key Stories Impacting Marsh

Here are the key news stories impacting Marsh this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and consulting-unit strength — Marsh reported $2.12 EPS vs. $1.97 est., revenue around $6.6B (beats estimates) and y/y revenue growth of ~8.7%; company commentary highlighted strength in consulting and insurance lines. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Fourth-quarter profit rise driven by core insurance business — coverage reiterates that insurance operations and fee-based consulting lifted profitability and revenue. This is the primary fundamental driver for the stock move. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $203 (from $199) with an Equal Weight rating — the lift to a $203 target (~7.9% above current levels) likely contributed to buying interest. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley nudged its target to $195 (from $190) and kept an Equal Weight rating — another upward revision that supports the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC reaffirmed a Sector Perform rating with a $200 target — a modestly constructive take but not a buy/upgrade; this is neutral-to-slightly supportive. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Non-financial article (filming locations for “Under Salt Marsh”) is unrelated to Marsh plc’s business and unlikely to affect the stock. Article Title

About Marsh

Marsh is a global insurance broker and risk advisor that helps organizations assess, manage and transfer a broad range of risks. The firm provides insurance placement and broking services for commercial and public-sector clients as well as specialty solutions for families and high-net-worth individuals. Its work focuses on identifying exposures, designing risk-transfer strategies and securing coverage from insurers and reinsurers to protect clients’ assets and operations.

Services offered by Marsh include commercial property and casualty broking, cyber and professional-liability placement, employee benefits consulting, and industry-specific specialty lines such as marine, energy and construction.