Barclays Cuts Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Price Target to $303.00

Key Points

• Barclays lowered its price target on Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ: WTW) from $322 to $303 while keeping an equal weight rating. The new target still implies a modest upside of about 3.21% from the current price.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed overall, with the stock holding a Moderate Buy consensus and a consensus price target of $348.73. Other recent firms have trimmed targets or adjusted ratings, including Bank of America, BMO Capital Markets, Truist Financial, and Cantor Fitzgerald.
• WTW shares rose to $293.58 in Tuesday trading after reporting better-than-expected quarterly EPS of $3.72 on revenue of $2.41 billion. The company also saw an insider purchase by Lucy Clarke and continues to have strong institutional ownership at 93.09%.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by equities researchers at Barclays from $322.00 to $303.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Barclays's price objective suggests a potential upside of 3.21% from the company's current price.

WTW has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $354.00 to $347.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. BMO Capital Markets raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $347.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Truist Financial upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $363.00 to $354.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $348.73.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

WTW traded up $5.92 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $293.58. 180,252 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 764,167. Willis Towers Watson Public has a one year low of $240.61 and a one year high of $352.79. The stock's fifty day moving average is $261.35 and its 200 day moving average is $291.02. The company has a quick ratio of 2.92, a current ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market cap of $27.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.43.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.52%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 19.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Lucy Clarke purchased 1,896 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 22,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. The trade was a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Willis Towers Watson Public

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company's stock valued at $429,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew 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 valued at $875,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 14,806 shares of the company's stock worth $4,538,000 after acquiring an additional 1,659 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.

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