Willis Towers Stock Price, News & Analysis

WTW's latest Insurance Marketplace Realities report reveals favorable conditions for insurance buyers in 2025, despite macroeconomic challenges. With U.S. policyholder surplus exceeding $1 trillion and global reinsurance capital over $700 billion, the market shows historic financial strength. Insurance carriers are adopting growth strategies as rates stabilize, leading to competitive pricing and broader underwriting appetites. The report includes detailed price predictions across various insurance segments, with notable trends in cyber (-5% to +5%), property (CAT-exposed: -10% to +10%), and auto (+10% to +20%). WTW's 'Gemini auto-follow facility' and new market entrants are providing innovative solutions for buyers. The company maintains a bullish outlook on 2025 market opportunities, emphasizing that well-prepared buyers with strong broker relationships are best positioned to benefit from current conditions.

WTW (NASDAQ: WTW) announced a significant ownership change in its UAE-based joint venture, Al-Futtaim Willis (AFW), as Al-Futtaim plans to sell their 51% stake to WTW. This move will allow WTW to fully manage the AFW business, pending regulatory approvals expected in H2 2025. The change marks the end of a nearly 50-year partnership with Al-Futtaim and aligns with WTW's global investment strategy to optimize its portfolio and expand high-growth broking businesses. The transition complements WTW's recent investments in Saudi Arabia, where the company established insurance and reinsurance broking entities. The integration aims to enhance client access to WTW's complete portfolio and strengthen its service offering in the Middle East region.

WTW (NASDAQ: WTW) has announced the acquisition of CFS International, a U.S. West Coast-based trade credit insurance company founded in 1990. This marks WTW's second recent acquisition in the trade credit sector, following the purchase of Global Commercial Credit in the Midwest. The strategic move aims to expand WTW's geographic coverage and strengthen its position in the trade credit insurance market.

CFS specializes in providing trade credit insurance solutions to global firms, helping clients manage credit risks and compete internationally through customized trade credit and finance programs. The acquisition aligns with WTW's strategy of investing in specialized industries and high-growth broking businesses. CFS's President Ralph Clumeck will step down, with Bridget Clumeck set to lead the next phase of the business under WTW's ownership.

Political risk has emerged as a critical concern for global companies, with 75% ranking it among their top five Enterprise Risk Management risks and 11% placing it at number one, according to Willis's eighth annual Political Risk Survey. The study reveals that 58% of organizations expect negative financial impacts from US tariffs, nearly matching the 60% affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2023.

The survey highlights that 2023 saw the highest political risk losses in eight years, with 18% of companies requiring earnings restatements due to losses from expropriation, political violence, and currency issues. Companies primarily used direct government negotiations and political risk insurance to recover losses.

Key concerns for 2025 include US policy uncertainty, geopolitical tensions affecting market access, and state-backed cyber threats. The research, based on 66 company surveys and 15 in-depth interviews, shows political risk has evolved from a sector-specific concern to a broader threat with higher potential losses.

WTW reported Q1 2025 financial results with mixed performance. Revenue decreased 5% to $2.2 billion, though organic revenue grew 5%. The company achieved notable improvements in profitability, with diluted EPS increasing 27% to $2.33 and operating margin expanding 740 basis points to 19.4%.

The Health, Wealth & Career segment saw revenue decline 13% to $1.17 billion, while maintaining organic growth of 3%. The Risk & Broking segment showed stronger performance with revenue increasing 5% to $1.03 billion and organic growth of 7%.

During Q1, WTW repurchased 607,221 shares for $200 million. The company expects to conduct share repurchases of approximately $1.5 billion in 2025, subject to market conditions. Management projects ~100 basis points of average annual margin expansion over the next 3 years in Risk & Broking, with additional margin expansion expected at HWC and enterprise levels.

Willis (WTW) has announced the appointment of Harry Merker to a new dual leadership role as Property and Casualty (P&C) Cross Industry Sales Leader and Alternative Asset Insurance Solutions (AAIS) Sales, Strategy and Execution Leader for North America. Merker will be responsible for:

• Driving broking growth initiatives across Willis' P&C business
• Leading strategic broking sales efforts across 12 industry verticals
• Overseeing AAIS go-to-market strategy, carrier relationships, and product development
• Managing sales pipeline engagement and RFP execution

With 20 years of commercial insurance and broking experience, Merker joins from Aon, where he served as Chief Broking Officer – Middle Market. Based in New York, he will report to Aartie Manansingh, Head of Alternative Asset Insurance Solutions, NA.

Willis, a WTW company (Nasdaq: WTW), has appointed Dom Spinelli as Head of Transactional Insurance Claims for North America. In this role, he will lead the claims function within Willis' Alternative Asset Insurance Solutions (AAIS) division, managing transactional insurance claims including representations and warranties, tax, and contingent matters.

Spinelli brings 15 years of experience in insurance and litigation, previously serving as Head of Contingent & Litigation Risk at VALE Insurance Partners and leading the contingent legal risk insurance team at Liberty Global Transaction Solutions. Based in Boston, he will report to Simone Bonnet, Head of Transactional Insurance Solutions, North America at Willis.

Notable is Spinelli's unique position as the only claims professional with senior-level experience in both underwriting and claims, offering clients comprehensive expertise in structuring policies and maximizing outcomes.

WTW (NASDAQ: WTW) has announced that Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM) is now utilizing Neuron, WTW's digital trading platform, for live trading of Directors & Officers (D&O) and Cyber risks as of March 31, 2025.

The platform connects brokers and insurers in real-time, streamlining the trading of complex specialty risks and enhancing insurance value chain efficiency. LSM's integration marks a significant step in Neuron's expansion, with additional classes and partners planned throughout 2025.

Neuron creates a digital marketplace that maintains participants' control over key assets while facilitating transparent and consistent trading. The platform helps brokers efficiently source optimal products and pricing for customers, while enabling insurers to automate follow-insurance trading and focus their underwriting expertise on more complex risks.

WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, has scheduled its first quarter 2025 earnings announcement for Thursday, April 24, 2025, before market opening.

The company will host a conference call at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the same day to discuss the financial results. The call will include a question-and-answer session, and interested participants must register to participate. A live broadcast will be available on WTW's website, with an online replay accessible shortly after the call concludes.