Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Stock Price

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) had its price target increased by Wells Fargo & Company from $358.00 to $377.00 in a research report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Citigroup started coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $351.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $400.00 price objective (up previously from $380.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $366.00 to $372.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $355.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $367.09.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $345.78 on Tuesday. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 12 month low of $286.35 and a 12 month high of $347.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $330.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $318.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.73 billion, a PE ratio of 236.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.73.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.23 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.60% and a net margin of 1.40%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.55 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, September 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 4.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.92 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio is 252.05%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 2nd quarter valued at about $458,662,000. Dodge & Cox purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 2nd quarter valued at about $391,837,000. Soundwatch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 2nd quarter valued at about $272,790,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 1st quarter valued at about $195,043,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 80.2% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,038,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $318,231,000 after buying an additional 462,249 shares during the period. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

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.