Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Given New $397.00 Price Target at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its WTW price target from $360 to $397 and maintained an “outperform” rating, implying about 18% upside from the cited share price.
• Analyst views are generally positive: WTW has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $370.11, though estimates vary.
• WTW’s latest quarterly results modestly beat expectations, with earnings of $3.63 per share and revenue of $2.46 billion; revenue grew 7.5% year over year.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) had its price target lifted by analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $360.00 to $397.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "outperform" rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 18.09% from the stock's current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $398.00 to $395.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $350.00 to $310.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $391.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $364.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $340.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $370.11.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock traded down $1.18 on Thursday, hitting $336.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 304,844 shares, compared to its average volume of 678,367. The company has a market capitalization of $31.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.44. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 1 year low of $240.61 and a 1 year high of $351.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.62. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $314.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $297.39.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $3.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.59 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.45 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 22.65% and a net margin of 15.22%. Willis Towers Watson Public's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.07 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 19.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Willis Towers Watson Public

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Western Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Virginia Estate & Retirement Planning Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG grew its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 37.8% during the second quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 124 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company NASDAQ: WTW is a global advisory, broking and solutions company that helps organizations manage risk, optimize benefits and improve performance. Its clients include corporations, governments, institutions and individuals across a range of industries and markets.

The company's services include insurance brokerage and risk management, reinsurance, employee benefits consulting, retirement and investment advisory, and human capital and organizational consulting.

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