Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Hits New 52-Week Low – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $283.60 and last traded at $290.09, with a volume of 2081239 shares. The stock had previously closed at $330.04.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WTW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $366.00 to $379.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. 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 research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Barclays upped their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $303.00 to $318.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $408.00 to $391.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $351.00 to $366.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $374.57.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 12.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a current ratio of 2.21. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $326.04 and a 200-day moving average of $327.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.62.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $8.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $2.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $8.13 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s payout ratio is presently 22.47%.

Institutional Trading of Willis Towers Watson Public

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of WTW. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $429,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $875,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $811,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 52.0% in the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 3,863 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,184,000 after purchasing an additional 1,322 shares during the period. 93.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company Profile

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.