Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Hits New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) shares hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $161.38 and last traded at $161.4840, with a volume of 4216000 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $161.58.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on MRSH. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Citigroup raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $205.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.1%

The company has a market cap of $77.80 billion, a PE ratio of 20.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $171.77.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The firm’s revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Solstein Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.