Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Given New $341.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised its price target on Willis Towers Watson Public to $341 from $319 and kept an overweight rating, implying about 17.65% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally constructive: the stock now has a Moderate Buy consensus with a $349.53 average price target, though some firms like Morgan Stanley and Barclays have trimmed targets or stayed more cautious.
• WTW recently beat quarterly EPS expectations, posting $3.72 per share versus the $3.65 estimate, while revenue rose 8.5% year over year to $2.41 billion.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $319.00 to $341.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective points to a potential upside of 17.65% from the company's previous close.

WTW has been the topic of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Barclays cut their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $322.00 to $303.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $374.00 to $382.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $283.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $349.53.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WTW traded down $2.74 during trading on Thursday, reaching $289.84. 193,567 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 761,243. 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 has a 50 day moving average of $261.54 and a 200-day moving average of $290.50. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 12 month low of $240.61 and a 12 month high of $352.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.43.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.13 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 19.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke acquired 1,896 shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the transaction, the insider owned 22,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,982,976.29. The trade was a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Willis Towers Watson Public

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company's stock worth $429,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company's stock valued at $875,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the company's stock worth $811,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 12.6% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 14,806 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,538,000 after purchasing an additional 1,659 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Willis Towers Watson Public

Here are the key news stories impacting Willis Towers Watson Public this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target on WTW to $361 from $338 and kept an outperform rating, implying meaningful upside from current levels. Mizuho raises price target on Willis Towers Watson Public
• Positive Sentiment: UBS Group increased its target to $382 from $374 and reiterated a buy rating, while Keefe, Bruyette & Woods also nudged its target higher to $381 with an outperform view. UBS and KBW raise targets on Willis Towers Watson Public
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research modestly raised future EPS estimates for WTW, suggesting analysts see stronger earnings ahead and supporting the long-term value thesis. Zacks raises earnings estimates for Willis Towers Watson Public
• Neutral Sentiment: Willis, a WTW business, released a report highlighting rising risk concerns in the food, beverage and agriculture sector; the update is informative for the insurance and risk-advisory business but does not directly change near-term fundamentals. Willis releases food industry risk report
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays kept a hold rating, which tempers some of the bullishness but does not indicate a fresh negative catalyst. Barclays maintains hold rating on Willis Towers Watson Public

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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