Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) Receives $352.00 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seventeen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $351.7333.

WTW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday. Mizuho dropped their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $353.00 to $338.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. BMO Capital Markets raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $347.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $379.00 to $351.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $409.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 4th.

Insider Activity at Willis Towers Watson Public

In related news, insider Lucy Clarke purchased 1,896 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at $5,982,976.29. This trade represents a 9.11% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WTW. Dodge & Cox increased its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 90.7% in the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 6,925,525 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,275,728,000 after acquiring an additional 3,293,334 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter valued at about $511,151,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter valued at about $284,570,000. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 657.3% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 941,637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,422,000 after buying an additional 817,301 shares during the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 23.4% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,505,195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,151,808,000 after buying an additional 664,202 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

NASDAQ WTW opened at $256.86 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $282.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $305.71. The company has a current ratio of 2.92, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The company has a market cap of $24.26 billion, a PE ratio of 14.98, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.45. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 1 year low of $240.61 and a 1 year high of $352.79.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.13 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 19.52 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.96 per share. This is an increase from Willis Towers Watson Public’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio is 22.39%.

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.