Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW – Get Rating) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $267.36.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $303.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 18th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Thursday, January 19th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $260.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $218.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 18th. TheStreet upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a research note on Monday, December 12th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Wednesday, December 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $247.00 price target for the company.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, Director Brendan R. Oneill sold 6,520 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.50, for a total transaction of $1,470,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 7,488 shares in the company, valued at $1,688,544. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.83% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTW. Callahan Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Callahan Advisors LLC now owns 8,307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,032,000 after acquiring an additional 1,062 shares during the last quarter. Markel Corp lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 17.0% in the 4th quarter. Markel Corp now owns 7,615 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,862,000 after acquiring an additional 1,108 shares during the last quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 65.3% in the 4th quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. now owns 96,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,651,000 after acquiring an additional 38,200 shares during the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter valued at $179,000. Finally, Ellevest Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 33.0% in the 4th quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. 93.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WTW opened at $252.39 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $247.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.71. The company has a market cap of $27.32 billion, a PE ratio of 11.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Willis Towers Watson Public has a twelve month low of $187.89 and a twelve month high of $258.43.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 29th. Willis Towers Watson Public’s payout ratio is presently 14.32%.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

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Willis Towers Watson Plc engages in the provision of advisory, broking, and solutions services. It operates through the following segments: Human Capital and Benefits (HCB), Corporate Risk and Broking (CRB), Investment, Risk and Reinsurance (IRR), and Benefits Delivery and Administration (BDA). The HCB segment provides advice, broking, solutions, and software for employee benefit plans, human resources organizations, and management teams.