UBS Group Has Lowered Expectations for Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Stock Price

Key Points

• UBS cut its price target for Willis Towers Watson from $409 to $400 but kept a "buy" rating, implying roughly a 54% upside from the recent share price.
• Several other brokers have also trimmed targets recently; the MarketBeat consensus is a “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $353 and a mix of 1 Strong Buy, 9 Buy and 7 Hold ratings.
• WTW traded around $260 (up ~1.4%) after reporting Q1 EPS of $3.72 that beat estimates and revenue up 8.5% YoY; the stock carries a PE of 15.16 and about 93% institutional ownership.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by analysts at UBS Group from $409.00 to $400.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. UBS Group's price target suggests a potential upside of 53.83% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Willis Towers Watson Public from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $358.00 to $353.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $354.00 to $347.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $379.00 to $351.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $353.00.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of WTW traded up $3.68 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $260.02. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,123,106 shares, compared to its average volume of 760,931. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 12-month low of $246.60 and a 12-month high of $352.79. The stock has a market cap of $24.49 billion, a PE ratio of 15.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 2.92 and a quick ratio of 2.92. The company's 50 day moving average is $291.72 and its 200 day moving average is $311.18.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $3.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.07. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 16.84%.The business had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.13 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 19.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AlTi Global Inc. raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. AlTi Global Inc. now owns 3,302 shares of the company's stock worth $1,088,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 72.5% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 88 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,284 shares of the company's stock valued at $789,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,939 shares of the company's stock valued at $966,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company Profile

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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