Morgan Stanley Cuts Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Price Target to $320.00

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) had its price target cut by Morgan Stanley from $330.00 to $320.00 in a report issued on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $366.00 to $379.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group upped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $398.00 to $409.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Citigroup upped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $351.00 to $366.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $318.00 to $341.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $369.71.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WTW opened at $290.82 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $27.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $297.28 and its 200-day moving average is $317.42. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 1-year low of $275.60 and a 1-year high of $352.79.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $8.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.93 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.87 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 20.91% and a net margin of 16.53%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $8.13 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Willis Towers Watson Public’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.44%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 375.0% during the fourth quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 76 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 8,200.0% during the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 83 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 72.5% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 88 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. 93.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.