Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Reaches New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) shares reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $246.53 and last traded at $243.58, with a volume of 182371 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $242.83.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $233.41.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.0 %

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $231.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $224.41. The firm has a market cap of $120.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.33%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total value of $2,344,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,129,075. This trade represents a 31.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 67,397 shares of company stock worth $15,694,684 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

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.