Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Sets New 1-Year Low on Analyst Downgrade

Key Points

• Shares hit a new 52-week low of $275.37 (last $274.89) after Wells Fargo cut its price target from $379 to $351, with about 191,979 shares traded.
• Several brokers trimmed targets recently, but the stock retains a consensus Moderate Buy rating with an average price target of $368.36, indicating mixed analyst views.
• WTW beat quarterly EPS expectations ($8.12 vs. $7.93) and reported $2.94B in revenue (down 3.3% YoY), and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.96 (annualized $3.84, yield 1.4%).

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low on Friday after Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on the stock from $379.00 to $351.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Willis Towers Watson Public traded as low as $275.37 and last traded at $274.8850, with a volume of 191979 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $287.86.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on WTW. Barclays decreased 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 note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $365.00 to $341.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $388.00 to $384.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $368.36.

Institutional Trading of Willis Towers Watson Public

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 375.0% in the 4th quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 76 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. boosted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 8,200.0% during the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 83 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 72.5% during 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 in the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company's 50-day moving average price is $296.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $317.22. The company has a market cap of $25.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.62.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $8.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.93 by $0.19. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.53% and a return on equity of 20.91%. The company had revenue of $2.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $8.13 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. This is an increase from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.44%.

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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