Zacks Research Has Pessimistic Outlook of WTW Q1 Earnings

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) – Research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Willis Towers Watson Public in a report released on Wednesday, April 22nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings of $4.27 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $4.33. The consensus estimate for Willis Towers Watson Public’s current full-year earnings is $19.51 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Willis Towers Watson Public’s Q2 2027 earnings at $4.30 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $4.37 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $21.73 EPS.

WTW has been the topic of several other reports. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $388.00 to $384.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $398.00 to $409.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $365.00 to $341.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $363.00 to $354.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $366.29.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:WTW opened at $287.73 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 52-week low of $273.59 and a 52-week high of $352.79. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $292.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $313.26. The company has a market capitalization of $27.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.62.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $8.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.93 by $0.19. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 20.91% and a net margin of 16.53%.The company had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $8.13 earnings per share. Willis Towers Watson Public’s quarterly revenue was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 375.0% during the fourth quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 76 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 8,200.0% during the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 83 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 72.5% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 88 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. This is a boost from Willis Towers Watson Public’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.44%.

Key Stories Impacting Willis Towers Watson Public

Here are the key news stories impacting Willis Towers Watson Public this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell materially in April — reported short interest of 2,069,787 shares as of April 15 (down ~25% from March 31). Lower short interest reduces immediate selling pressure and short-covering risk.
• Positive Sentiment: WTW announced a multi-year global partnership with the INEOS Grenadiers cycling team, which can boost brand exposure and client engagement for its advisory/broking business. INEOS Grenadiers and WTW Announce Partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised several later-period estimates (Q4 2026, Q4 2027 and FY2026 were nudged higher), suggesting some analysts still see upside in certain future quarters despite near-term softness.
• Neutral Sentiment: Some headlines emphasize WTW’s opportunity for an earnings beat in upcoming reports — useful context for investors but not an immediate catalyst. WTW Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Conflicting/erroneous short-interest reporting appeared (an item showing “0 shares”), creating data noise — treat that entry as unreliable until exchanges confirm updated filings.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed near-term EPS estimates across several quarters (small cuts to Q1, Q2 and Q3 FY2027 and to FY2027 overall). Even modest downgrades can weigh on the stock by lowering near-term earnings visibility and expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: The days-to-cover metric (around 3.5 days on the April 15 short base) still implies size-able short exposure versus daily volume; if sentiment turns negative again this could add downward pressure.

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.