Is A Beat In Store For Willis Towers (WLTW) In Q1 Earnings?

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WLTW) is slated to report first-quarter 2018 results on May 7, before the market opens. Last reported quarter, the company beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.74%.

Let’s see, how things are shaping up for this announcement.

Commissions and fees in the first quarter are likely to have improved on organic growth across all segments and a solid contribution from acquisitions. An improving rate environment might have cushioned better investment results. Efforts to ramp up revenues in North America by restructuring Corporate Risk and Broking business are expected to have paid off.

In its Exchange business, Willis Towers continues to maintain a robust 2018 sales pipeline in both the middle and large markets. For 2018, the company enrolled 0.2 million lives with 35,000 retirees in the individual marketplace and estimates another 45,000-55,000 retirees to enroll further. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for exchange solutions revenues is pegged at $192 million, up 1.6%, sequentially.

Operational Improvement Program and cost synergies derived from the company’s merger are likely to have benefited its margins.

Share buybacks have probably boosted the company’s bottom line.

However, hedging costs and adverse forex could limit this upside.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter earnings stands at $2.63 per share on revenues of $$2.2 billion. These in turn translate into a respective year-over-year decrease of 29.1% and nearly 7%.

What the Quantitative Model Indicates

Our proven model shows that Willis Towers is likely to beat estimates this to-be-reported quarter. This is because it has the right combination of the two main ingredients — a positive Earnings ESP and a favorable Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) — for an earnings beat.

Zacks ESP: Willis Towers has an Earnings ESP of +0.71%. This is because the Most Accurate estimate of $2.65 is pegged higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.63. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company Price and EPS Surprise

Zacks Rank: Willis Towers carries a Zacks Rank #3, which increases the predictive power of ESP. Further combined with a positive ESP, it increases the odds of a likely earnings surprise.

We caution against Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) going into an earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.

Other Stocks to Consider

Some other stocks worth considering from the finance sector with the right combination of elements to also exceed estimates this time around are as follows:

National General Holdings Corp (NASDAQ:NGHC) is set to report first-quarter earnings on May 7. The stock has an Earnings ESP of +5.59% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Third Point Reinsurance Ltd. (NYSE:TPRE) has an Earnings ESP of +5.97% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The company is scheduled to announce first-quarter earnings on May 9.

Banco Macro S.A. (NYSE:BMA) has an Earnings ESP of +1.23% and is a Zacks #3 Ranked player. The company is expected to release first-quarter earnings on May 9.

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