Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.99

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be paid a dividend of 0.99 per share by the financial services provider on Friday, August 14th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 23rd. This is a 10.0% increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90.

Marsh & McLennan Companies has raised its dividend by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 15 years. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a payout ratio of 34.7% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Marsh & McLennan Companies to earn $11.24 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 32.0%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MRSH opened at $178.87 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a twelve month low of $156.60 and a twelve month high of $216.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The company had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 10.37 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MRSH. Bank of America dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $199.81.

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.