Mizuho Cuts Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Price Target to $380.00

Key Points

• Mizuho lowered its price target for Willis Towers Watson (WTW) from $406 to $380 while maintaining an “outperform” rating, implying roughly 20.5% upside from the previous close.
• WTW shares fell 2.1% to $315.32, though the analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $370.56.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.35 in adjusted EPS versus the $3.12 consensus and revenue of $2.47 billion, up 9.1% year over year; institutional investors own 93.09% of the stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) had its target price cut by investment analysts at Mizuho from $406.00 to $380.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "outperform" rating on the stock. Mizuho's price objective points to a potential upside of 20.51% from the company's previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $345.00 target price (up from $300.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Monday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $316.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $378.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $315.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $370.56.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 2.1%

Willis Towers Watson Public stock traded down $6.64 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $315.32. The stock had a trading volume of 97,370 shares, compared to its average volume of 693,297. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $322.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $292.04. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 52 week low of $240.61 and a 52 week high of $352.79. The stock has a market cap of $29.28 billion, a PE ratio of 19.43, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.12 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.42 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 22.19%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.86 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 19.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 196.6% in the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 37,826 shares of the company's stock worth $9,887,000 after acquiring an additional 25,071 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 15.4% during the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 170,881 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,663,000 after purchasing an additional 22,767 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 9,910 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,590,000 after purchasing an additional 1,106 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 27,107 shares of the company's stock worth $7,085,000 after purchasing an additional 1,090 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waverly Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 1,181 shares of the company's stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company's stock.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company NASDAQ: WTW is a global advisory, insurance brokerage and solutions firm serving organizations, institutions and individuals. The company helps clients manage risk, optimize benefits and support workforce performance through a combination of consulting expertise, data, analytics and technology.

WTW's businesses include risk and insurance brokerage, corporate risk management, actuarial and insurance consulting, retirement and investment consulting, and health and benefits advisory services.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.