Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $368.2308.

WTW has been the subject of several research reports. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. 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. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $395.00 to $398.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $362.00 to $356.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Mizuho assumed coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $386.00 target price on the stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the third quarter worth $25,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Motco lifted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 1,933.3% in the 3rd quarter. Motco now owns 122 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

WTW opened at $336.10 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.00, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.63. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $323.99 and a 200-day moving average of $324.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 12-month low of $292.97 and a 12-month high of $352.79.

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

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

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s payout ratio is presently 17.52%.

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.