Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Willis Towers Watson (WTW) from a "hold" to a "sell" rating in a note to investors, signaling a negative view from that research provider.
• Despite the downgrade, the MarketBeat consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with an average analyst target of $368.15, while brokers show mixed views—some raising targets (Evercore, UBS) and others trimming them (Wells Fargo, Mizuho, Barclays).
• WTW shares opened at $280.14 (about down 2.7%), with a market cap of $26.39B and P/E of 17.1, and short interest spiked ~55% to roughly 2.77M shares (~2.9% of float), implying elevated downside risk and potential volatility.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

WTW has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $379.00 to $351.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Evercore lifted their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $383.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $392.00 to $358.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $398.00 to $409.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $368.15.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 2.7%

WTW stock opened at $280.14 on Friday. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $295.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $316.81. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 12 month low of $273.59 and a 12 month high of $352.79. The company has a market cap of $26.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.10, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.62.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wedmont Private Capital increased its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 919 shares of the company's stock worth $322,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors grew its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 779 shares of the company's stock worth $269,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. increased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 0.3% in the third quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 14,050 shares of the company's stock worth $4,853,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. AlTi Global Inc. raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. AlTi Global Inc. now owns 3,302 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,088,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Willis Towers Watson Public News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Positive analyst/stock-pick coverage highlighting WTW as attractive on valuation, which could support longer-term buying interest. Zacks: Here's Why Willis Towers Watson (WTW) is a Strong Value Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Company launched “Digital Infrastructure Protector,” a data-center risk-management product that can expand fee-based services and cross-sell to enterprise clients — potentially supportive for revenue diversification and long-term growth. Press Release: Digital Infrastructure Protector
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target from $379 to $351 but kept an “overweight” rating — the downgrade trims upside expectations but retains a positive stance, leaving mixed signals for traders. Benzinga: Wells Fargo target cut
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald lowered its target to $354 and kept a “neutral” rating — suggests tempered enthusiasm from another research desk while still implying upside from current levels. Benzinga: Cantor Fitzgerald update
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays reiterated a “hold” on WTW — reinforces consensus caution among some sell-side desks. Globe & Mail: Barclays remains a hold
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest spiked ~55% in March to ~2.77M shares (≈2.9% of float) with a days-to-cover of ~5.4 — rising short activity can amplify downside risk and volatility if bearish flows continue.
• Negative Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods issued a pessimistic forecast on WTW, adding negative analyst sentiment that can pressure intraday trading and investor confidence. American Banking News: Keefe Bruyette & Woods pessimistic forecast

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.

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.