Evercore ISI Cuts Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Price Target to $383.00

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) had its price target trimmed by Evercore ISI from $387.00 to $383.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on WTW. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed 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 note on Monday, September 22nd. Mizuho initiated coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $386.00 price target for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $375.00 to $388.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Willis Towers Watson Public to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $369.08.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ WTW opened at $330.26 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $324.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $325.01. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 52 week low of $292.97 and a 52 week high of $352.79. The stock has a market cap of $31.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.72, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a current 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 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 analyst estimates of $2.28 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 21.58% and a return on equity of 21.46%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.93 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.92 per share. 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 payout ratio is currently 17.52%.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WTW. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings 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 during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 37.1% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,571,000 after purchasing an additional 3,659 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company’s stock worth $875,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public during the first quarter valued at approximately $583,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $811,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

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.