Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Rating Increased to Buy at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $382.00 target price on the stock, up from their prior target price of $352.00.

A number of other analysts have also commented on WTW. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $359.00 to $378.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $334.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $380.00 price objective (up from $365.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Roth Mkm increased their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $315.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $326.33.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

WTW stock opened at $317.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 1.72. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 52-week low of $234.88 and a 52-week high of $334.99. The company has a market capitalization of $31.99 billion, a P/E ratio of -43.62, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $308.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $288.15.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. Willis Towers Watson Public had a positive return on equity of 18.57% and a negative net margin of 7.36%. The company had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.24 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 16.75 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio is presently -48.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WTW. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. New Millennium Group LLC purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the second quarter worth $54,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 22.2% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC raised its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 29.9% during the second quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

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.