Jefferies Financial Group Increases Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Price Target to $244.00

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) had its price objective lifted by Jefferies Financial Group from $237.00 to $244.00 in a research report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a hold rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

MMC has been the subject of several other reports. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $236.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MMC opened at $233.52 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 12-month low of $196.17 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The firm has a market cap of $115.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s 50-day moving average is $232.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. Research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.80%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. The trade was a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Modera Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,885 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $281,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $163,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. now owns 5,762 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,224,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, New England Professional Planning Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. New England Professional Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,261 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 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.