Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume After Analyst Upgrade

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday after Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on the stock from $212.00 to $214.00. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has an underperform rating on the stock. Approximately 716,789 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 49% from the previous session’s volume of 1,413,938 shares.The stock last traded at $209.65 and had previously closed at $209.11.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on MMC. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Roth Mkm raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $211.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total value of $553,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 48,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. This represents a 4.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% during the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Bangor Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 390.9% during the 2nd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 270 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $103.94 billion, a PE ratio of 26.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company’s fifty day moving average is $219.33 and its 200 day moving average is $221.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.02. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 32.65%. The business had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.