Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Issues Earnings Results

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) released its earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.66 by $0.06, Zacks reports. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 32.19%. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.41 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $212.18 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $104.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.80. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $221.45 and its 200 day moving average is $224.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a one year low of $207.21 and a one year high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 24th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.95%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies stock. Bison Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 39.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 869 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $651,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MMC shares. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 7th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $214.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $240.50.

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.