Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Given New $318.00 Price Target at Barclays

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) had its target price upped by analysts at Barclays from $303.00 to $318.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “underweight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s price target would indicate a potential downside of 4.54% from the company’s previous close.

WTW has been the subject of several other reports. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $408.00 to $391.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $356.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st. UBS Group raised their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $395.00 to $398.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wolfe Research upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $383.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $369.08.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of WTW traded up $1.76 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $333.14. 480,469 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 471,309. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 1-year low of $292.97 and a 1-year high of $352.79. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $324.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $324.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The company has a market cap of $31.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.63.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.28 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.46% and a net margin of 21.58%.The company’s revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.93 EPS. Research analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, September 18th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 4.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the third quarter worth about $25,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 8,200.0% during the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 83 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.