Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Price Target Raised to $318.00

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) had its price objective upped by Barclays from $303.00 to $318.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an underweight rating on the stock.

WTW has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $362.00 to $356.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Wall Street Zen cut Willis Towers Watson Public from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $356.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Mizuho started coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $386.00 target price for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $375.00 to $388.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $369.08.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ WTW opened at $330.26 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The company has a market cap of $31.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.72, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.63. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 12 month low of $292.97 and a 12 month high of $352.79. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $324.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $325.17.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.28 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 21.58% and a return on equity of 21.46%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.93 EPS. As a group, 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 of Directors has authorized 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 buy up to 4.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of Willis Towers Watson Public

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. lifted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 8,200.0% in the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 83 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public during the third quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.