Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $367.1111.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on WTW shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $371.00 to $366.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $369.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $316.00 to $305.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 7th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.75, for a total value of $505,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,982 shares in the company, valued at $3,783,316.50. The trade was a 11.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 750.0% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 85 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 94.9% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 115 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $327.85 on Friday. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 1-year low of $273.70 and a 1-year high of $344.14. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $307.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $316.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 224.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.67.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.21. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 1.40% and a return on equity of 21.60%. The firm had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.55 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public’s payout ratio is presently 252.05%.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company Profile

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company operates as an advisory, broking, and solutions company worldwide. It operates through two segments: Health, Wealth & Career and Risk & Broking. The company offers strategy and design consulting, plan management service and support, broking and administration services for health, wellbeing, and other group benefit program, including medical, dental, disability, life, voluntary benefits and other coverages; actuarial support, plan design, and administrative services for pension and retirement savings plans; retirement consulting services and solutions; and integrated solutions that consists of investment discretionary management, pension administration, core actuarial, and communication and change management assistance services.