Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) had its price target lifted by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $356.00 to $366.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price points to a potential upside of 12.16% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $386.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target (up from $380.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $369.85.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:WTW traded down $3.14 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $326.31. 20,984 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 396,068. The firm has a market cap of $31.24 billion, a PE ratio of 15.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.63. Willis Towers Watson Public has a fifty-two week low of $292.97 and a fifty-two week high of $352.79. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $325.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $325.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.28 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.46% and a net margin of 21.58%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.93 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, September 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 4.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Willis Towers Watson Public

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $429,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company’s stock worth $875,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9% in the first 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 last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $2,065,000. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.