Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (WLTW) Receives $153.67 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WLTW) have received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $153.67.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WLTW shares. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 13th. UBS AG reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $163.00 price objective (up from $159.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited in a research report on Monday, June 5th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $160.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited in a research report on Friday, July 7th. Citigroup Inc. increased their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited from $166.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited in a research report on Thursday, May 4th.

COPYRIGHT VIOLATION NOTICE: “[[title]]” was first reported by [[site]] and is the sole property of of [[site]]. If you are viewing this article on another publication, it was illegally stolen and reposted in violation of United States and international trademark & copyright laws. The legal version of this article can be read at [[permalink]].

In related news, insider Jeffrey W. Ubben sold 445,000 shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.03, for a total transaction of $64,538,350.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Roger F. Millay sold 20,000 shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.58, for a total transaction of $2,991,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,059 shares in the company, valued at $2,102,945.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,852,000 shares of company stock worth $424,855,580. 6.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WLTW. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited by 11.8% in the second quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 693 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Bank of Australia raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited by 12.1% in the second quarter. Commonwealth Bank of Australia now owns 694 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Advisor Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited by 30.2% in the second quarter. Advisor Group Inc. now owns 699 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Dupont Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited during the second quarter valued at about $106,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited by 77.2% in the second quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 909 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $132,000 after buying an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. 92.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ WLTW) traded up 0.35% during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $148.88. The company had a trading volume of 947,000 shares. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited has a 52 week low of $112.76 and a 52 week high of $152.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $148.29 and its 200 day moving average is $138.89. The company has a market capitalization of $19.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.14 and a beta of 0.93.

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WLTW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 3rd. The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.03. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited had a return on equity of 10.63% and a net margin of 4.75%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.95 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.66 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited will post $8.43 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company Profile

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (Willis Towers Watson) is a holding company. The Company operates as a global advisory, broking and solutions company. It is engaged in offering risk management, insurance broking, consulting, technology and solutions, and private exchanges. The Company operates through eight segments: Willis International; Willis North America; Willis Capital, Wholesale & Reinsurance (CWR); Willis GB; Towers Watson Benefits; Towers Watson Exchange Solutions; Towers Watson Risk and Financial Services; and Towers Watson Talent and Rewards.