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

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $351.7333.

WTW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup raised shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $384.00 to $380.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Truist Financial raised shares of Willis Towers Watson Public to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $354.00 to $347.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th.

Insider Activity at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, insider Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the purchase, the insider owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. The trade was a 9.11% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WTW. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company’s stock valued at $429,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $875,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $811,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 14,806 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,538,000 after buying an additional 1,659 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WTW opened at $248.38 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.92, a current ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The company has a market cap of $23.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.45. Willis Towers Watson Public has a fifty-two week low of $240.61 and a fifty-two week high of $352.79. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $282.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $306.30.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.52%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.13 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 19.52 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from Willis Towers Watson Public’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. Willis Towers Watson Public’s payout ratio is 22.39%.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

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.