Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate WTW a “Moderate Buy.” Ten analysts recommend buying the stock, seven rate it a hold and one gives it a strong-buy rating; the average 12-month price target is $369.38 versus a recent price of $315.61.
• WTW exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $3.35 versus the $3.12 consensus and revenue of $2.47 billion, up 9.1% year over year.
• Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company, while WTW maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.96 per share, equivalent to a $3.84 annualized payout and a 1.2% yield.

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the eighteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $369.3750.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on WTW shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $378.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $344.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group increased their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $382.00 to $405.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $381.00 to $394.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $322.00 to $303.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 7th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 25,756.8% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 39,656,625 shares of the company's stock worth $10,365,052,000 after purchasing an additional 39,503,255 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 90.7% in the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 6,925,525 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,275,728,000 after buying an additional 3,293,334 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter valued at $511,151,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter valued at $284,570,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 657.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 941,637 shares of the company's stock valued at $309,422,000 after buying an additional 817,301 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WTW opened at $315.61 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The stock has a market cap of $29.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a 50 day moving average of $321.07 and a 200-day moving average of $291.63. Willis Towers Watson Public has a one year low of $240.61 and a one year high of $352.79.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.12 by $0.23. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 22.19%. The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.42 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.86 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 19.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.62%.

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.