Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Upgraded by Wolfe Research to "Hold" Rating

Key Points

• Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) has been upgraded to a "hold" rating by Wolfe Research, indicating a potential stabilization in investor sentiment.
• Barclays and Wells Fargo have reduced their target prices for the stock, with Barclays lowering its price target to $305.00 and Wells Fargo to $369.00.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings per share of $2.86, exceeding expectations, although its revenue decreased by 0.2% year-over-year.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wolfe Research to a "hold" rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $355.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $369.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Barclays cut their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $316.00 to $305.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $351.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $362.92.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Up 1.5%

NASDAQ:WTW traded up $5.01 on Monday, reaching $336.71. The stock had a trading volume of 1,309,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 457,743. The company has a market cap of $32.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 230.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The firm's fifty day moving average is $324.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $317.50. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 12-month low of $286.00 and a 12-month high of $344.14.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 1.40% and a return on equity of 21.60%. The company's quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.55 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 17.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, September 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 4.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTW. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the second quarter worth approximately $458,662,000. Dodge & Cox acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the second quarter valued at $391,837,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 40,489.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,007,429 shares of the company's stock valued at $340,461,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004,947 shares in the last quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the second quarter valued at $272,790,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the first quarter valued at $195,043,000. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company Profile

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company operates as an advisory, broking, and solutions company worldwide. It operates through two segments: Health, Wealth & Career and Risk & Broking. The company offers strategy and design consulting, plan management service and support, broking and administration services for health, wellbeing, and other group benefit program, including medical, dental, disability, life, voluntary benefits and other coverages; actuarial support, plan design, and administrative services for pension and retirement savings plans; retirement consulting services and solutions; and integrated solutions that consists of investment discretionary management, pension administration, core actuarial, and communication and change management assistance services.