TD Cowen Increases Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Price Target to $455.00

Key Points

• TD Cowen raised Willis Towers Watson’s price target to $455 from $391 and maintained a “buy” rating, implying approximately 34% upside from the prior close.
• WTW shares rose 1.2% to $339.44, while the broader analyst consensus remained a “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $369.38.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.35 in EPS versus a $3.12 estimate and $2.47 billion in revenue, up 9.1% year over year; institutional investors own 93.09% of its stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by equities researchers at TD Cowen from $391.00 to $455.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. TD Cowen's price target would indicate a potential upside of 34.04% from the company's previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $378.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $338.00 to $361.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $344.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $369.38.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 1.2%

WTW stock traded up $3.98 during trading on Thursday, reaching $339.44. 62,189 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 723,140. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $296.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $287.95. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 12 month low of $240.61 and a 12 month high of $352.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 1.68. The company has a market capitalization of $31.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.42.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.12 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.42 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 22.19%. The firm's revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.86 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 19.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dodge & Cox lifted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 90.7% during the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 6,925,525 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,275,728,000 after purchasing an additional 3,293,334 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the fourth quarter worth about $511,151,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the fourth quarter worth about $284,570,000. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 657.3% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 941,637 shares of the company's stock worth $309,422,000 after purchasing an additional 817,301 shares during the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 23.4% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,505,195 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,151,808,000 after buying an additional 664,202 shares in 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 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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