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What's in the Cards for Willis Towers (WLTW) in Q2 Earnings?

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Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company is set to report second-quarter 2021 results on Aug 3, before market open. The company delivered an earnings surprise in each of the last four quarters, the average being 7.72%.

Factors to Note

The company’s second-quarter revenues are likely to have witnessed the impact of higher consulting and brokerage services, continued expansion of client portfolio for both local and global benefit management appointments, and favorable renewal factors.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $2.2 billion, indicating growth of 5.9% from the year-ago quarter.

Revenues at Human Capital and Benefits (HCB) segment, the largest segment of the company, are likely to have benefited from better results of technology and administrative solutions, partially offset by soft talent and rewards revenues. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for segment revenues stands at $782 million, indicating an increase of 2% from the year-ago quarter.

Revenues at Corporate Risk and Broking (CRB) segment are likely to have benefited from new business generation and strong renewal. The consensus estimate for segment revenues stands at $739 million, indicating an increase of 5.4% from the prior-year reported figure.

Net new business and favorable renewals are likely to have resulted in reinsurance growth for Investment, Risk and Reinsurance (IRR) segment in the second quarter. All lines of business are likely to contribute to the segment’s results. However, soft wholesale’s revenues are likely to have been an offset. The consensus estimate for the IRR segment is pegged at $398 million, indicating a decline of 3.6% from the prior-year quarter.

Growth in Individual Marketplace, primarily by TRANZACT, along with growth in Medicare Advantage products might have driven organic revenues in the Benefits Delivery and Administration (BDA) segment. The consensus estimate for the BDA segment stands at $270 million, suggesting year-over-year growth of 29.2%.

Expenses in the quarter to be reported are likely to have risen due to higher salaries and benefits, depreciation, transaction and integration expenses as well as other operating expenses and higher restructuring costs.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings per share is pegged at $1.98, suggesting an increase of 10% from the year-ago reported figure.

What the Zacks Model Unveils

Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Willis Towers this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. But that’s not the case here.

Earnings ESP: Willis Towers has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are both pegged at $1.98. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: Willis Towers carries a Zacks Rank of 2.

Stocks to Consider

Some stocks worth considering from the insurance space with the perfect mix of elements to surpass estimates in their upcoming quarterly releases are as follows:

Aon plc (AON - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +3.05 and a Zacks Rank of 3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

NMI Holdings (NMIH - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +3.56% and a Zacks Rank of 3.

CNA Financial (CNA - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +4.04% and a Zacks Rank of 3.

 


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