Piper Sandler Issues Positive Forecast for Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Stock Price

Key Points

• Piper Sandler has raised its target price for Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ: WTW) from $369.00 to $387.00, indicating an 11.82% potential upside.
• The company's Board of Directors has initiated a $1.50 billion stock buyback plan, which reflects confidence in the stock's value.
• Multiple brokerages have recently adjusted their ratings and price targets, with the average rating standing at "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $368.75.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by Piper Sandler from $369.00 to $387.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Piper Sandler's target price suggests a potential upside of 11.82% from the stock's previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on WTW. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $355.00 price target for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $366.00 to $372.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $358.00 to $377.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $400.00 price target (up from $380.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $368.75.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

NASDAQ WTW traded down $1.06 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $346.08. The company had a trading volume of 89,386 shares, compared to its average volume of 628,743. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 1-year low of $286.35 and a 1-year high of $350.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 1.90. The company has a market cap of $33.76 billion, a PE ratio of 237.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.73. The business has a 50 day moving average of $331.12 and a 200-day moving average of $318.40.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.21. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 1.40% and a return on equity of 21.60%. The business had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.55 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 17.32 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, September 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 4.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.4% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,238,308 shares of the company's stock worth $1,912,041,000 after purchasing an additional 146,104 shares in the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.8% in the second quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 3,579,098 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,096,994,000 after acquiring an additional 62,570 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.4% during the first quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,856,440 shares of the company's stock valued at $965,334,000 after purchasing an additional 67,898 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 0.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,591,115 shares of the company's stock worth $790,908,000 after purchasing an additional 19,384 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.8% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,279,417 shares of the company's stock valued at $698,642,000 after purchasing an additional 103,695 shares during the period. 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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