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

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation, eight have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $367.2308.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $373.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. UBS Group lifted their target price 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. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $408.00 to $391.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price target (up from $380.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $373.00 to $387.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 0.0%

WTW stock opened at $329.84 on Friday. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 52 week low of $292.97 and a 52 week high of $352.79. 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 50-day simple moving average of $324.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $321.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.63.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 21.58% and a return on equity of 21.46%. The firm had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.28 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.93 EPS. Willis Towers Watson Public’s quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, September 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 4.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio is 17.52%.

Institutional Trading of Willis Towers Watson Public

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTW. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 76.4% during the 2nd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 2,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $733,000 after buying an additional 1,036 shares in the last quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the second quarter worth $9,570,000. Atria Investments Inc grew its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 87.6% during the second quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 4,867 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,492,000 after acquiring an additional 2,272 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership raised its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.8% in the second quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 3,579,098 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,096,994,000 after acquiring an additional 62,570 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Shore Management Inc CT lifted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 11.5% in the second quarter. Sound Shore Management Inc CT now owns 257,128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,810,000 after acquiring an additional 26,420 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.