Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Sets New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $242.40 and last traded at $241.87, with a volume of 604240 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $238.80.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on MMC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $233.41.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.3 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $228.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $223.95. The stock has a market cap of $118.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.56, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total transaction of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This trade represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 57,828 shares of company stock worth $13,350,279 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. 111 Capital purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $459,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 51,333 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,904,000 after purchasing an additional 2,690 shares during the last quarter. Members Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $344,000. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $380,000. Finally, Anchor Pointe Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $234,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.