Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Price Target Raised to $366.00

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) had its price target increased by Wells Fargo & Company from $356.00 to $366.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective (up previously from $380.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $383.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Barclays lifted their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $303.00 to $318.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $408.00 to $391.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $369.08.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 0.1%

NASDAQ:WTW opened at $328.49 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $325.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $325.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.63, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.63. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 1-year low of $292.97 and a 1-year high of $352.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.69 and a quick ratio of 1.69.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $3.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.02. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.46% and a net margin of 21.58%.The business had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.28 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.93 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 17.32 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. Willis Towers Watson Public’s payout ratio is 17.52%.

Willis Towers Watson Public announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, September 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 4.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WTW. Quadcap Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Quadcap Wealth Management LLC now owns 747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $229,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital increased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.8% in the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 919 shares of the company’s stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 779 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 10.1% during the second quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 392 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ethic Inc. boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 0.3% during the third quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 14,050 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,853,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.