Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Issues Positive Forecast for Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Stock Price

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) had its price objective lifted by investment analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $375.00 to $388.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective suggests a potential upside of 16.02% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also commented on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $395.00 to $398.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $303.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $362.00 to $356.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Mizuho began coverage on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $386.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $368.23.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

WTW stock traded down $0.18 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $334.42. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 127,943 shares, compared to its average volume of 353,015. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 12 month low of $292.97 and a 12 month high of $352.79. The company has a 50 day moving average of $323.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $324.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.63.

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

Willis Towers Watson Public announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, September 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 4.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quadcap Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.8% in the second quarter. Quadcap Wealth Management LLC now owns 747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.8% in the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 919 shares of the company’s stock valued at $322,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors grew its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 779 shares of the company’s stock worth $269,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 10.1% in the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Ethic Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 0.3% in the third quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 14,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,853,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

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.