Zacks Research Has Negative Forecast for WTW Q2 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research cut its Q2 2026 EPS estimate for WTW to $3.11 from $3.16, signaling a slightly more cautious outlook for the insurer and advisory firm.
• WTW’s most recent quarterly results were solid, with EPS of $3.72 beating estimates and revenue of $2.41 billion matching expectations; revenue also rose 8.5% year over year.
• Despite some mixed analyst moves, the stock still carries a Moderate Buy consensus, and WTW recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.96 per share, implying a 1.5% annualized yield.

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q2 2026 earnings per share estimates for Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note issued on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $3.11 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $3.16. The consensus estimate for Willis Towers Watson Public's current full-year earnings is $19.52 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Willis Towers Watson Public's Q2 2027 earnings at $3.78 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $9.64 EPS and Q1 2028 earnings at $4.68 EPS.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 last year, the business posted $3.13 earnings per share.

WTW has been the topic of several other reports. Barclays lowered their price target on 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. Weiss Ratings downgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $384.00 to $380.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $347.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $351.73.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Up 3.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:WTW opened at $256.86 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $24.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.45. The stock's 50-day moving average is $282.02 and its 200-day moving average is $305.71. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 52-week low of $240.61 and a 52-week high of $352.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a current ratio of 2.92.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.0% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 903,762 shares of the company's stock worth $262,723,000 after purchasing an additional 9,232 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Advisors MI bought a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the first quarter worth about $140,000. Amundi lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 14.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 365,952 shares of the company's stock worth $106,382,000 after purchasing an additional 45,235 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 42.9% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,336 shares of the company's stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 401 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 71.2% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,696 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,528,000 after acquiring an additional 3,616 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at $5,982,976.29. This represents a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.39%.

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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