Framework Journal · one stock, one dated entry

Recorded 2026-08-05 · Permanent

Willis Towers Watson logoWillis Towers Watson WTW

Outside both standards

An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.

In plain words · Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company operates as an advisory, broking, and solutions company worldwide.

The label
Markup

read at $338.07

Willis Towers Watson holds its Markup at $338.07.

PHINPOOPSC
  • PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
  • INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
  • POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
  • OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
  • SCScreen · does not pass the values gate
  • edge confirmed
  • edge broken
  • edge forming

Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.

The investor read · the season, not the day

As held on the ledger · 2026-08-05
PhaseMarkup
Quantitative stateElevated stress, defensive posture warranted, held for 17 days
Price$338.07
Valuation20.92 trailing · 14.83 forward price to earnings
Values screenFAIL · score 10.0
Beta0.42

The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth

Our framework reads AVOID — it trades at roughly a 7% discount to our $361.52 fair value, moderate competitive moat, 9.10% revenue growth.

Read at
$338.07
20.92 P/E · 14.83 fwd
Our fair value
$361.52
7% discount
Analyst target (avg)
$381.00
+13% to current
Target low $303.00Analyst target rangeTarget high $406.00
▲ current $338.07 · | average target

Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going

$421$312$202TODAY5y agoPROJECTIONAnalyst high$406.00 +54%Analyst avg$381.00 +44%Our fair value$361.52 +37%Conservative$272.70 +3%

The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street

Current
$338.07
you are here
Conservative
$272.70
-19%
Analyst avg
$381.00
+13%
Our fair value
$361.52
+7%
Analyst high
$406.00
+20%

Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.

Reading the gap · Both our model and the analysts see meaningful upside from here.

Revenue growth9.10%
Profit margin15.49%
Debt to equity91.39
Analyst consensusBuy · 19 covering

Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.

The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English

This company is excluded by both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. It fails on both:

The common standard · AAOIFI
Used by most halal investing apps
✗ DOES NOT PASS
Our stricter standard · asset-based
The one Titan applies
✗ DOES NOT PASS

Why it fails. The problem is its business activity screen. Because both standards agree on this, it is a clear exclusion, not a borderline case.

What these two standards are, and how they differ →

  • Business activity Business activity: Financials sector Fail

Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.

The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean

Broker looks cheap yet fails ethics test

Picture a firm that helps multinationals price pensions and insure supply chains across dozens of markets. Willis Towers Watson delivers steady 8 percent revenue growth, a 17 percent profit margin and 21 percent ROE at a forward multiple of 13.2 times. The numbers look workable and the consensus target sits above the current price, yet we pass.

The decision rests on the ethical screen. The business fails the activity test and that single breach overrides any margin of safety or moderate moat. We do not need to debate valuation when the core activity screen already rules the name out.

Risks remain ordinary for the sector: currency moves, regulatory shifts and client concentration. None of those change the ethical outcome. Analysis, not advice.

The fundamentals · plain-English read
Forward P/E14.8x
priced for continued growth
Trailing P/E20.9x
a premium valuation
Revenue growth9.1%
steady growth
Profit margin15.5%
healthy profit margins
Return on equity19.8%
a solid return on shareholder capital
Debt to equity0.91
moderate, manageable leverage
Current ratio1.10
adequate liquidity, worth monitoring
Beta0.42
barely tracks the market's swings
Market cap$31.4B
Employees47,000

The risks · The things to watch: its business and earnings are exposed to United Kingdom and to currency swings.

Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.

Latest news · what the market is reading on WTW

Headlines from third-party outlets, linked for reference — not our reporting, not advice.

Related securities · others in WTW's space worth a look

Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.

Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are

WTW trades on a US exchange (the company is based in United Kingdom). As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.

The trader read · the latest dated commentary

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 10%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 13%. The street (19 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $332. Entered 2026-07-18 · Distribution

The dated journal · newest first, never edited

2026-07-18 Distribution $263.54 +0.0% Entry 3

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 10%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 13%. The street (19 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $332.

2026-07-03 Distribution $263.54 +0.0% Entry 2

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.

2026-07-02 Distribution $263.54 Entry 1

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.

Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.

The insider ledger · Form 4 filings, as filed

Most recent filings · WTW
DateInsiderTitleTypeSharesValue
2026-05-06 CLARKE LUCY Officer 1,896 $499,340
2026-05-04 HESS CARL AARON Chief Executive Officer 2,000 $510,160
2026-04-20 GEBAUER JULIE JARECKE Officer 1,819 ·
2026-04-20 HESS CARL AARON Chief Executive Officer 8,429 ·
2026-04-20 KRASNER ANDREW JAY Chief Financial Officer 2,360 ·
2026-04-20 QURESHI IMRAN AHMED Officer 1,053 ·
2026-04-20 KURPIS JOSEPH STEPHEN Officer 96 ·
2026-04-20 BANAS KRISTY D Officer 770 ·
2026-04-20 FABER ALEXIS Chief Operating Officer 848 ·
2026-04-20 FURMAN MATTHEW General Counsel 913 ·

Public filings, recorded as found. The full tape lives at Insider Intelligence.

What holding actually paid · price plus dividends

If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
PeriodPrice thenPrice returnDivs per share$1,000 becameTotal return
1 month $249.72 +5.7% · $1,057 +5.7%
2 months $280.14 -5.8% · $942 -5.8%
3 months $285.68 -7.6% $0.96 $927 -7.3%
6 months $323.61 -18.5% $1.88 $821 -17.9%
1 year $293.35 -10.0% $3.72 $912 -8.8%
2 years $249.64 +5.7% $7.28 $1,086 +8.6%
3 years $217.28 +21.5% $10.68 $1,264 +26.4%
5 years $241.67 +9.2% $16.40 $1,160 +16.0%

Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever WTW does next, these words stay.

Willis Towers Watson · WTW · Markup · $338.07
Recorded 2026-08-05 · before the outcome · scored mechanically

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