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

Key Points

• UBS Group cut its price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $400 to $374, while keeping a buy rating. The new target still implies about 43% upside from the stock’s current price.
• Several other analysts also lowered their targets recently, and the consensus view on the stock remains Moderate Buy with an average price target of $350.
• Willis Towers Watson reported better-than-expected quarterly EPS of $3.72 and revenue of $2.41 billion, while the stock was trading around $261.25, up 1.2% on the day.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) had its target price decreased by investment analysts at UBS Group from $400.00 to $374.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the stock. UBS Group's price target points to a potential upside of 43.16% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $384.00 to $380.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $347.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $283.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $379.00 to $351.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $350.00.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock traded up $3.13 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $261.25. 177,089 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 770,937. The stock has a market cap of $24.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.43. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $271.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $298.91. 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 0.78, a current ratio of 2.92 and a quick ratio of 2.92.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.07. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.52%. The business had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.13 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 19.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke purchased 1,896 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 22,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. This trade represents a 9.11% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTW. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 690,210 shares of the company's stock worth $226,803,000 after acquiring an additional 10,697 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 945.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 57,641 shares of the company's stock worth $18,941,000 after acquiring an additional 52,125 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 45.7% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 20,225 shares of the company's stock worth $6,646,000 after acquiring an additional 6,340 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.5% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 179,771 shares of the company's stock worth $62,102,000 after acquiring an additional 12,575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heartland Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 25.4% during the third quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 23,959 shares of the company's stock worth $8,277,000 after acquiring an additional 4,859 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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