Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Upgraded by Citigroup to "Strong-Buy" Rating

Key Points

• Citigroup upgraded Willis Towers Watson from "hold" to "strong-buy," and the street consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with a $352 average price target.
• WTW beat quarterly EPS expectations ($3.72 vs. $3.65) with revenue of $2.41B (up 8.5% year-over-year) and strong profitability (ROE ~21.5%, net margin ~16.8%); analysts forecast about 19.51 EPS for the year.
• Insider Lucy Clarke purchased 1,896 shares at roughly $263.37, raising her holding to 22,717 shares, while the stock trades near $252.41 with a market cap of $23.8B and a P/E of 14.7.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Citigroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $283.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Truist Financial upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Mizuho cut their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $353.00 to $338.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Willis Towers Watson Public from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $352.00.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 2.7%

NASDAQ:WTW opened at $252.41 on Wednesday. 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's fifty day moving average is $290.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $310.08. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 52 week low of $246.60 and a 52 week high of $352.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.45.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.41 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 16.84%.The firm's revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.13 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 19.51 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Lucy Clarke acquired 1,896 shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock in a transaction 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 purchase, the insider directly owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. The trade was a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC increased its stake 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 during the period. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 93.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.