Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Stock Price

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) had its target price lowered by equities research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $371.00 to $366.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price target would indicate a potential upside of 20.97% from the company’s previous close.

WTW has been the topic of several other reports. UBS Group upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $344.00 to $395.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $380.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $357.00 to $373.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays raised their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $302.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $373.00 to $371.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $351.55.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

WTW stock opened at $302.55 on Monday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $325.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $317.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.16 billion, a P/E ratio of -302.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.68. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 52 week low of $248.09 and a 52 week high of $344.14.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.27 by ($0.14). Willis Towers Watson Public had a negative net margin of 0.99% and a positive return on equity of 20.02%. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.13 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Towers Watson Public

In related news, insider Julie Jarecke Gebauer sold 3,384 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.77, for a total value of $1,136,245.68. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 74,417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,986,996.09. This represents a 4.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 2,747 shares of the company’s stock worth $928,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 41.9% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 210 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 326.8% during the first quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 3,124 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,055,000 after buying an additional 2,392 shares during the period. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 1st quarter valued at $458,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company operates as an advisory, broking, and solutions company worldwide. It operates through two segments: Health, Wealth & Career and Risk & Broking. The company offers strategy and design consulting, plan management service and support, broking and administration services for health, wellbeing, and other group benefit program, including medical, dental, disability, life, voluntary benefits and other coverages; actuarial support, plan design, and administrative services for pension and retirement savings plans; retirement consulting services and solutions; and integrated solutions that consists of investment discretionary management, pension administration, core actuarial, and communication and change management assistance services.