Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Lowered to “Neutral” at Piper Sandler

Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a research note released on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has $211.00 target price on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on MMC. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a market perform rating and a $189.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $185.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an underperform rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $204.73.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.7 %

MMC stock opened at $197.62 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $202.67 and its 200 day moving average is $196.69. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1-year low of $171.47 and a 1-year high of $209.20. The stock has a market cap of $97.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $5.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.54 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.72% and a net margin of 16.52%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 8.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 4th will be given a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 3rd. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 37.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 12,494 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total value of $2,508,670.26. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 33,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,762,205.62. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CEO Martine Ferland sold 9,128 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.63, for a total transaction of $1,840,478.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,012,065.77. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 12,494 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total value of $2,508,670.26. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 33,678 shares in the company, valued at $6,762,205.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 36,751 shares of company stock valued at $7,448,163. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ignite Planners LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 1,267 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Westover Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Westover Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Evoke Wealth LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 1,258 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $238,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. RDA Financial Network raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. RDA Financial Network now owns 1,762 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Fortis Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a professional services company, provides advice and solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide. It operates through Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment offers risk management services, such as risk advice, risk transfer, and risk control and mitigation solutions, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking, strategic advisory services, and analytics solutions, and insurance program management services.