Mizuho Cuts Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Price Target to $380.00

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) had its price objective decreased by Mizuho from $406.00 to $380.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Mizuho currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on WTW. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $315.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $391.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $345.00 price objective (up from $300.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $381.00 to $394.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $382.00 to $405.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $370.56.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of WTW opened at $309.98 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 1.68. Willis Towers Watson Public has a one year low of $240.61 and a one year high of $352.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.06, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $323.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $292.23.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.12 by $0.23. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 22.19% and a net margin of 15.49%.The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 19.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio is 23.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTW. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 690,210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $226,803,000 after purchasing an additional 10,697 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 45.7% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 20,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,646,000 after buying an additional 6,340 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the fourth quarter worth approximately $511,151,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 945.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 57,641 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,941,000 after buying an additional 52,125 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 158,741 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,162,000 after buying an additional 9,112 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ: WTW) is a global advisory, insurance brokerage and solutions firm serving organizations, institutions and individuals. The company helps clients manage risk, optimize benefits and support workforce performance through a combination of consulting expertise, data, analytics and technology.

WTW’s businesses include risk and insurance brokerage, corporate risk management, actuarial and insurance consulting, retirement and investment consulting, and health and benefits advisory services.