Marsh (NYSE:MRSH) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.15 EPS

Marsh (NYSE:MRSH) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15, Briefing.com reports. The business had revenue of $6.60 billion during 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 company’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.87 earnings per share.

Marsh Price Performance

NYSE:MRSH opened at $188.21 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $92.21 billion, a PE ratio of 22.33, 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 has a 1-year low of $174.18 and a 1-year high of $248.00.

Marsh Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 29th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Marsh’s payout ratio is 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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRSH has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings started coverage on shares of Marsh in a research report on Thursday. They set a “hold (c)” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Marsh from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Marsh from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Marsh in a report on Friday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $199.33.

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.