Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seventeen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $351.80.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $322.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Citigroup raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $380.00 to $381.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 2.3%

Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $295.11 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $27.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.43. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 1-year low of $240.61 and a 1-year high of $352.79. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $269.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $287.33. The company has a current ratio of 2.92, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

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 the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.13 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 19.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. This represents a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, 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

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 375.0% during the 4th quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 76 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 72.5% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 88 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

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.