Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $351.7333.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $363.00 to $354.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $379.00 to $351.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $409.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke acquired 1,896 shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the purchase, the insider owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at $5,982,976.29. This trade represents a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Willis Towers Watson Public

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 74.1% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 6,299 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,831,000 after acquiring an additional 2,682 shares during the period. Carlson Capital L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the first quarter worth approximately $320,000. Glenmede Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 134.3% in the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 4,166 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,211,000 after acquiring an additional 2,388 shares during the period. Summitry LLC grew its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 11.2% in the first quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 962 shares of the company’s stock worth $280,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of NASDAQ WTW opened at $263.54 on Friday. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 1 year low of $240.61 and a 1 year high of $352.79. The stock has a market cap of $24.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.43. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $272.09 and a 200 day moving average of $299.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 2.92 and a quick ratio of 2.92.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.07. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.52%. The company had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.13 EPS. Willis Towers Watson Public’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 19.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.39%.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company Profile

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.