Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.12 EPS

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12, Zacks reports. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 16.82%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC traded up $0.71 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $219.21. 683,773 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,959,097. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1 year low of $190.41 and a 1 year high of $235.50. The stock has a market cap of $107.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $217.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $221.40.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.49%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 40.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the subject of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target 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. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $228.60.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.