Cantor Fitzgerald Begins Coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW)

Key Points

• Cantor Fitzgerald has initiated coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ: WTW) with a "neutral" rating and a price target of $355.00, indicating a potential upside of 7.58% from its current price.
• Several other analysts have adjusted their price targets, with Barclays reducing it to $305.00 and Wells Fargo lowering it to $369.00, while the consensus price target among analysts stands at $364.55.
• In its latest earnings report, Willis Towers Watson Public reported $2.86 earnings per share, exceeding expectations, but its revenue decreased by 0.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Equities researchers at Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. The firm set a "neutral" rating and a $355.00 price target on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 7.58% from the company's current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $316.00 to $305.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $369.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $371.00 to $366.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Wednesday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $351.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $364.55.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ WTW opened at $330.00 on Wednesday. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 12-month low of $274.00 and a 12-month high of $344.14. The company has a market capitalization of $32.19 billion, a PE ratio of 226.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The firm's 50-day moving average is $307.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $316.59.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 1.40% and a return on equity of 21.60%. The company's quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.55 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 17.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.75, for a total transaction of $505,200.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,783,316.50. The trade was a 11.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.32% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WTW. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.8% during the first quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,018 shares of the company's stock worth $682,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 35.6% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,208 shares of the company's stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 124.2% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,941 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,670,000 after buying an additional 2,737 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 1st quarter worth about $406,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 22.6% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 14,108 shares of the company's stock worth $4,768,000 after acquiring an additional 2,596 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company's stock.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company operates as an advisory, broking, and solutions company worldwide. It operates through two segments: Health, Wealth & Career and Risk & Broking. The company offers strategy and design consulting, plan management service and support, broking and administration services for health, wellbeing, and other group benefit program, including medical, dental, disability, life, voluntary benefits and other coverages; actuarial support, plan design, and administrative services for pension and retirement savings plans; retirement consulting services and solutions; and integrated solutions that consists of investment discretionary management, pension administration, core actuarial, and communication and change management assistance services.

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