Zacks Research Equities Analysts Decrease Earnings Estimates for Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW)

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research lowered their Q2 2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report issued on Thursday, May 9th. Zacks Research analyst S. Shah now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $2.26 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $2.38. The consensus estimate for Willis Towers Watson Public's current full-year earnings is $16.28 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Willis Towers Watson Public's Q3 2024 earnings at $2.63 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $7.98 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $16.16 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $3.51 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $3.07 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $3.41 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $7.89 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $17.88 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $4.29 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $20.86 EPS.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 10.88% and a return on equity of 16.31%. The company had revenue of $2.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.84 EPS. Willis Towers Watson Public's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $236.00 to $298.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $315.00 to $312.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $317.00 to $311.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $295.54.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

NASDAQ WTW traded down $3.25 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $253.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 298,443 shares, compared to its average volume of 461,109. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 1 year low of $195.29 and a 1 year high of $278.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $265.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $254.77. The company has a market capitalization of $25.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.44, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 168.8% in the 4th quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 129 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,100 shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.13, for a total value of $299,343.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 4,170 shares in the company, valued at $1,134,782.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Sunday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.88 per share. This is a boost from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.31%.

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.