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

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $370.5625.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $382.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $381.00 to $394.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $378.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $391.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 23.4% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,505,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,151,808,000 after purchasing an additional 664,202 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the fourth quarter valued at $511,151,000. Baupost Group LLC MA raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 24.7% in the fourth quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 1,357,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $446,108,000 after purchasing an additional 268,536 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.2% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,000,558 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,856,000 after purchasing an additional 11,851 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.0% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 903,762 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,723,000 after purchasing an additional 9,232 shares during the period. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

NASDAQ WTW opened at $309.98 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $323.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $292.15. Willis Towers Watson Public has a twelve month low of $240.61 and a twelve month high of $352.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.79 billion, a PE ratio of 19.06, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 1.68.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.12 by $0.23. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 22.19% and a net margin of 15.49%.The company had revenue of $2.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.86 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 19.82 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.62%.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company Profile

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ: WTW) is a global advisory, insurance brokerage and solutions firm serving organizations, institutions and individuals. The company helps clients manage risk, optimize benefits and support workforce performance through a combination of consulting expertise, data, analytics and technology.

WTW’s businesses include risk and insurance brokerage, corporate risk management, actuarial and insurance consulting, retirement and investment consulting, and health and benefits advisory services.