Mizuho Cuts Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Price Target to $358.00

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) had its target price lowered by Mizuho from $392.00 to $358.00 in a research note published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

WTW has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $365.00 to $341.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $365.00 to $345.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $366.00 to $379.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Evercore upped their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $383.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $371.50.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

NASDAQ WTW opened at $305.17 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $317.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $325.27. The firm has a market cap of $28.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.63, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.21 and a quick ratio of 2.21. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 1 year low of $275.60 and a 1 year high of $352.79.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $8.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.93 by $0.19. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 20.91% and a net margin of 16.53%.The firm had revenue of $2.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $8.13 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 17.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Willis Towers Watson Public’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.47%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $429,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company’s stock worth $875,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $811,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 56.0% in the 2nd quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 1,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ: WTW) is a global advisory, broking and solutions company that helps organizations manage risk, optimize benefits and cultivate talent. The firm combines insurance brokerage and risk management capabilities with human capital and benefits consulting, actuarial and analytics services, and technology-enabled solutions. Willis Towers Watson serves a broad client base that includes multinational and mid-sized corporations, public sector organizations, insurers and investment managers.

The company’s core activities encompass commercial and reinsurance brokerage, risk transfer and risk-financing advice, and claims advocacy, alongside employee benefits and retirement consulting.