Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Cut to “Neutral” at Citigroup

Citigroup downgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. Citigroup currently has $200.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock.

MRSH has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Mizuho increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $194.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $201.69.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 2.4%

MRSH stock opened at $180.66 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $86.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.61. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a one year low of $156.60 and a one year high of $213.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The business’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.41 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be paid a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 48.41%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $18,889,506.81. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Procyon Advisors LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $423,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,673 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,823,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, MMA Asset Management LLC increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC now owns 4,083 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $757,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC) is a global professional services firm headquartered in New York City that provides advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and people. Founded in 1905, the company has grown into a diversified group of businesses focused on insurance brokerage and risk management, reinsurance, human capital and investment consulting, and management consulting. Its long history and scale position it as a prominent adviser to corporations, governments and other institutions seeking to manage risk and optimize human and financial capital.

The firm operates through several well-known subsidiaries and business units that specialize in distinct services.