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

Key Points

• Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ: WTW) hit a new 52-week low after Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut its price target from $384 to $380, even though the firm kept an outperform rating. The stock traded as low as $243.53 and was last around $244.05, down about 4% on the day.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Citigroup upgraded WTW to buy, while several others trimmed targets, leaving the stock with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $351.73. Overall, two analysts rate it Strong Buy, nine Buy, and six Hold.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $3.72 per share and raised its dividend to $0.96 per quarter from $0.92. Insider Lucy Clarke also bought shares, signaling some confidence despite the weak stock price action.

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday after Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on the stock from $384.00 to $380.00. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Willis Towers Watson Public traded as low as $243.53 and last traded at $244.05, with a volume of 224643 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $251.44.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on WTW. Citigroup raised shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $363.00 to $354.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $347.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $409.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $351.73.

Insider Transactions at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke purchased 1,896 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were 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 owned 22,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. This represents a 9.11% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Willis Towers Watson Public

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTW. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.5% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 179,771 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,102,000 after purchasing an additional 12,575 shares in the last quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 25.4% in the third quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 23,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,277,000 after purchasing an additional 4,859 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.0% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 679,513 shares of the company's stock valued at $234,738,000 after purchasing an additional 19,515 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.8% in the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 196,833 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,996,000 after purchasing an additional 3,454 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 512.7% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 43,903 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,757,000 after purchasing an additional 36,738 shares in the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 4.0%

The company has a quick ratio of 2.92, a current ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market cap of $22.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.11, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.45. The business's fifty day moving average is $286.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $307.91.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.13 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a $0.96 dividend. This is an increase from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. Willis Towers Watson Public's payout ratio is presently 22.39%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.