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WTW

Willis Towers Watson PublicA
Nasdaq / Insurance
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2026-08-27
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Earnings documents stored for WTW.

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Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-08-27

WTW Announces Regular Quarterly Dividend

GlobeNewswire

LONDON, Aug. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, announced that its Board of Directors approved a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.96 per common share for the quarter ended June 30, 2026. The dividend is payable on or about October 15, 2026 to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 30, 2026. About WTW At WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), we provide data-driven, insight-led solutions in the areas of people, risk and capital. Leveraging the global view and local expertise of our colleagues serving 140 countries and markets, we help organizations sharpen their strategy, enhance organizational resilience, motivate their workforce and maximize performance. Working shoulder to shoulder with our clients, we uncover opportunities for sustainable success—and provide perspective that moves you. Learn more at wtwco.com. CONTACT INVESTORSClaudia De La Hoz | [email protected]

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-31

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company Q2 2026 Earnings Call Summary

Moby
Our analysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here. Delivered 5% organic revenue growth and 100 basis points of adjusted operating margin expansion, driven by strong marketplace success and cost discipline despite global volatility. Risk & Broking (R&B) led performance with 7% organic growth, benefiting from a global specialty model and the recovery of delayed activity from the first quarter. Health, Wealth & Career (HWC) achieved 4% organic growth, supported by robust demand in Health due to high medical inflation, though partially offset by project deferrals in the Middle East. Management launched 'Propel,' an AI acceleration plan designed to capture the next wave of productivity by embedding automation across the enterprise to enhance client solutions. The strategy emphasizes specialization and data-driven advice, utilizing tools like 'Rewards AI' and the 'Violet Suite' to automate routine actuarial and administrative tasks. Operational efficiencies are being realized through the integration of Newfront's Navigator technology into the Neuron platform, streamlining legacy systems into a single intelligence layer. Strategic talent acquisition remains a primary growth engine, with recent hires performing at or above expectations and contributing to new business wins in high-growth sectors like renewable energy. Targeting an adjusted operating margin of approximately 30% by 2028, with specific segment targets of 35% for HWC and 30% for R&B. Expects to generate $400 million in gross run rate savings through a $625 million investment, resulting in $350 million in net savings after reinvesting $50 million into growth initiatives. Anticipates a meaningful step-up in free cash flow margin starting in 2029 once the cash costs associated with the Propel plan subside. Maintains 2026 guidance for mid-single-digit organic growth and continued margin expansion, with Propel benefits expected to contribute meaningfully starting in 2027. Assumes a competitive pricing environment will persist, with insurance rates declining across most lines except for U.S. casualty, where rates continue to rise. Career segment revenue was flat due to a nearly 50% decline in discretionary project work in the Middle East linked to ongoing regional conflict. The Propel plan involves approximat…Read full document

Our analysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here. Delivered 5% organic revenue growth and 100 basis points of adjusted operating margin expansion, driven by strong marketplace success and cost discipline despite global volatility. Risk & Broking (R&B) led performance with 7% organic growth, benefiting from a global specialty model and the recovery of delayed activity from the first quarter. Health, Wealth & Career (HWC) achieved 4% organic growth, supported by robust demand in Health due to high medical inflation, though partially offset by project deferrals in the Middle East. Management launched 'Propel,' an AI acceleration plan designed to capture the next wave of productivity by embedding automation across the enterprise to enhance client solutions. The strategy emphasizes specialization and data-driven advice, utilizing tools like 'Rewards AI' and the 'Violet Suite' to automate routine actuarial and administrative tasks. Operational efficiencies are being realized through the integration of Newfront's Navigator technology into the Neuron platform, streamlining legacy systems into a single intelligence layer. Strategic talent acquisition remains a primary growth engine, with recent hires performing at or above expectations and contributing to new business wins in high-growth sectors like renewable energy. Targeting an adjusted operating margin of approximately 30% by 2028, with specific segment targets of 35% for HWC and 30% for R&B. Expects to generate $400 million in gross run rate savings through a $625 million investment, resulting in $350 million in net savings after reinvesting $50 million into growth initiatives. Anticipates a meaningful step-up in free cash flow margin starting in 2029 once the cash costs associated with the Propel plan subside. Maintains 2026 guidance for mid-single-digit organic growth and continued margin expansion, with Propel benefits expected to contribute meaningfully starting in 2027. Assumes a competitive pricing environment will persist, with insurance rates declining across most lines except for U.S. casualty, where rates continue to rise. Career segment revenue was flat due to a nearly 50% decline in discretionary project work in the Middle East linked to ongoing regional conflict. The Propel plan involves approximately $25 million in non-cash charges alongside the $625 million cash-cost-to-achieve. Management flagged that while AI will drive headcount reductions in high-volume administrative roles, the strategy focuses on reskilling staff for high-value advisory work. Completed the acquisition of SMB Scala & Mansutti to strengthen the specialist broking footprint in the under-penetrated Italian insurance market. One stock. Nvidia-level potential. 30M+ investors trust Moby to find it first. Get the pick. Tap here. Growth was driven by strong new business in North America construction, natural resources, and M&A, alongside high client retention globally. Management clarified that while some Q1 delayed activity moved into Q2, the pipeline remains strong despite softening pricing in most markets. Confirmed that 'one-off' project revenue is a standard part of the business and not indicative of unusual volatility in the new specialty model. The plan is an acceleration of existing technology successes, aimed at freeing up consultant capacity for high-value client work rather than just cutting costs. Savings will stem from process automation, lower third-party spend, and the retirement of duplicative legacy technology systems. Costs will be adjusted out of non-GAAP measures to provide transparency on the program's progress versus underlying operational performance. The Gemini facility is nearly fully digital and handles up to 16% of qualifying risk for middle-market and larger clients. A new digital panel solution for SME business, branded as 'Aquarius,' is currently being developed to provide dependable global capacity. These digital tools are intended to ensure capacity availability for clients even if broader market conditions shift.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30

Willis Towers Watson (WTW) Q2 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates

Zacks
For the quarter ended June 2026, Willis Towers Watson (WTW) reported revenue of $2.47 billion, up 9.1% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $3.35, compared to $2.86 in the year-ago quarter. The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.43 billion, representing a surprise of +1.56%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +7.03%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $3.13. While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health. Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance. Here is how Willis Towers Watson performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts: Revenue- Health, Wealth and Career: $1.27 billion versus $1.26 billion estimated by five analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +7.6% change. Revenue- Reimbursable expenses and other: $30 million compared to the $29.99 million average estimate based on five analysts. The reported number represents a change of +25% year over year. Revenue- Segment Revenue: $2.43 billion versus $2.4 billion estimated by five analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +9.3% change. Revenue- Risk and Broking: $1.16 billion versus $1.13 billion estimated by five analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +11.2% change. Segment Operating Income- Risk and Broking: $258 million versus $242.99 million estimated by five analysts on average. Segment Operating Income- Health, Wealth and Career: $306 million versus the five-analyst average estimate of $308.66 million. View all Key Company Metrics for Willis Towers Watson here>>> Shares of Willis Towers Watson have returned +14.9% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -1.5% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download…Read full document

For the quarter ended June 2026, Willis Towers Watson (WTW) reported revenue of $2.47 billion, up 9.1% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $3.35, compared to $2.86 in the year-ago quarter. The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.43 billion, representing a surprise of +1.56%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +7.03%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $3.13. While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health. Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance. Here is how Willis Towers Watson performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts: Revenue- Health, Wealth and Career: $1.27 billion versus $1.26 billion estimated by five analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +7.6% change. Revenue- Reimbursable expenses and other: $30 million compared to the $29.99 million average estimate based on five analysts. The reported number represents a change of +25% year over year. Revenue- Segment Revenue: $2.43 billion versus $2.4 billion estimated by five analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +9.3% change. Revenue- Risk and Broking: $1.16 billion versus $1.13 billion estimated by five analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +11.2% change. Segment Operating Income- Risk and Broking: $258 million versus $242.99 million estimated by five analysts on average. Segment Operating Income- Health, Wealth and Career: $306 million versus the five-analyst average estimate of $308.66 million. View all Key Company Metrics for Willis Towers Watson here>>> Shares of Willis Towers Watson have returned +14.9% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -1.5% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (WTW) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30

Willis Towers Watson Public Q2 Earnings Call Highlights

MarketBeat
Interested in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company? Here are five stocks we like better. WTW delivered a strong second quarter: Organic revenue increased 5%, adjusted operating margin expanded 100 basis points to 19.5%, and adjusted diluted EPS rose 17% to $3.35. Risk & Broking led growth with 7% organic revenue growth, while Health, Wealth & Career grew 4%. The new Propel AI initiative targets major efficiency gains: WTW plans to invest approximately $625 million to generate $400 million in run-rate savings, or $350 million net after reinvestment, by 2028. The company now targets an enterprise adjusted operating margin of about 30% in 2028. Management reaffirmed its 2026 outlook and capital-return plans: WTW expects mid-single-digit organic growth, continued margin expansion and improving free cash flow, while planning at least $1 billion in share repurchases for the year. The company repurchased $450 million of shares and paid $90 million in dividends during the quarter. Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) reported second-quarter 2026 organic revenue growth of 5%, adjusted operating margin expansion of 100 basis points and adjusted diluted earnings per share of $3.35, up 17% from the prior-year period. Chief Executive Officer Carl Hess said the quarter reflected marketplace performance and cost discipline despite continued global market volatility. Risk & Broking led the company with 7% organic growth, while Health, Wealth & Career posted 4% growth. WTW’s adjusted operating margin was 19.5% in the quarter. → Why SK hynix Could Be the Best AI Chip Stock to Buy Now Chief Financial Officer Andrew Krasner said recent acquisitions contributed about three percentage points to reported revenue growth at both the enterprise and segment levels. The company also generated $360 million in free cash flow during the first six months of 2026, up from $217 million in the prior-year period. WTW announced Propel, an AI acceleration plan expected to be completed by the end of 2028. The company expects the initiative to generate approximately $400 million in run-rate savings through an investment of about $625 million, plus roughly $25 million in non-cash charges. WTW plans to reinvest about $50 million of the savings into growth opportunities, resulting in projected net run-rate savings of $350 million. → 3 Value ETFs to Consider as Growth Stocks Lag Behind “Pro…Read full document

Interested in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company? Here are five stocks we like better. WTW delivered a strong second quarter: Organic revenue increased 5%, adjusted operating margin expanded 100 basis points to 19.5%, and adjusted diluted EPS rose 17% to $3.35. Risk & Broking led growth with 7% organic revenue growth, while Health, Wealth & Career grew 4%. The new Propel AI initiative targets major efficiency gains: WTW plans to invest approximately $625 million to generate $400 million in run-rate savings, or $350 million net after reinvestment, by 2028. The company now targets an enterprise adjusted operating margin of about 30% in 2028. Management reaffirmed its 2026 outlook and capital-return plans: WTW expects mid-single-digit organic growth, continued margin expansion and improving free cash flow, while planning at least $1 billion in share repurchases for the year. The company repurchased $450 million of shares and paid $90 million in dividends during the quarter. Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) reported second-quarter 2026 organic revenue growth of 5%, adjusted operating margin expansion of 100 basis points and adjusted diluted earnings per share of $3.35, up 17% from the prior-year period. Chief Executive Officer Carl Hess said the quarter reflected marketplace performance and cost discipline despite continued global market volatility. Risk & Broking led the company with 7% organic growth, while Health, Wealth & Career posted 4% growth. WTW’s adjusted operating margin was 19.5% in the quarter. → Why SK hynix Could Be the Best AI Chip Stock to Buy Now Chief Financial Officer Andrew Krasner said recent acquisitions contributed about three percentage points to reported revenue growth at both the enterprise and segment levels. The company also generated $360 million in free cash flow during the first six months of 2026, up from $217 million in the prior-year period. WTW announced Propel, an AI acceleration plan expected to be completed by the end of 2028. The company expects the initiative to generate approximately $400 million in run-rate savings through an investment of about $625 million, plus roughly $25 million in non-cash charges. WTW plans to reinvest about $50 million of the savings into growth opportunities, resulting in projected net run-rate savings of $350 million. → 3 Value ETFs to Consider as Growth Stocks Lag Behind “Propel is an acceleration of what’s already working for WTW,” Hess said during the call, describing the program as a way to reduce routine manual work and create more capacity for brokers, advisers and consultants to focus on client relationships, advice and new business. Krasner said most of the program’s costs are expected in 2027 and 2028, though some spending will occur in 2026. Costs will flow through GAAP results but be excluded from the company’s adjusted non-GAAP measures. WTW said it will provide quarterly updates on the program’s costs and benefits. → 5 AI Stocks Are Pulling Back—Which Growth Catalysts Still Look Strongest? The company expects Propel’s benefits to begin contributing meaningfully in 2027 and to build through 2028. WTW now targets an adjusted operating margin of approximately 30% at the enterprise level in 2028, including margins of about 35% for Health, Wealth & Career and 30% for Risk & Broking. WTW said it expects a meaningful improvement in free cash flow margin after the plan concludes and related cash costs subside in 2029. The company said Propel does not change its 2026 guidance or near-term capital return plans. Health, Wealth & Career generated 4% organic revenue growth, with Health rising 8% on growth across regions, new business wins and project work. Wealth increased 2%, reflecting higher retirement-related activity. Career revenue was flat, as stronger communications, change and broad-based pay work was offset by weaker revenue in the Middle East amid ongoing conflict. Hess said WTW absorbed a nearly 50% decline in Career project work in the Middle East. Outside the region, Career grew 3%, including high-single-digit growth outside North America. Benefits Delivery & Outsourcing grew 1%, as expanded outsourcing and administration work was partly offset by lower individual marketplace commissions outside the annual enrollment period. Health, Wealth & Career’s adjusted operating margin increased 30 basis points to 24.1%. WTW maintained its outlook for mid-single-digit organic growth and continued margin expansion for the segment in 2026. Risk & Broking grew 7% organically, with Corporate Risk & Broking also growing 7%. Krasner attributed the result to new business, double-digit growth in nearly all specialty businesses and strong client retention. North America led geographic growth, with strength in construction, natural resources, surety and mergers and acquisitions. Insurance Consulting and Technology grew 6%, driven primarily by software sales and new business wins, including multiyear technology-practice deals. Risk & Broking’s operating margin rose 100 basis points to 22.2% on operating leverage and expense discipline. The company reiterated its expectations for mid-single-digit full-year growth and 100 basis points of margin expansion in the segment. WTW highlighted existing AI and automation deployments that it expects to expand through Propel. In Health, Wealth & Career, the company said its Rewards AI compensation intelligence tool now serves more than 5,000 client users. Its Violet suite of AI capabilities has served more than 12 million plan participants, while benefit decision-support use increased 52% and participant follow-ups declined 60%, according to Hess. In Risk & Broking, WTW has incorporated Newfront’s Navigator system into its Neuron operating platform under the name Willis Navigator. Hess said schedules of insurance that previously took four hours can now be generated in about five minutes, while certain real estate premium allocations that historically took two to four weeks can be completed in minutes after receiving binders and final premiums. The company said Newfront integration remains on track, with cost synergies modestly ahead of plan. Hess emphasized that Newfront synergies are separate from and additive to Propel savings. WTW also completed the acquisition of Italian regional insurance broker SMB Scala & Mansutti during the period. WTW said it continues to see demand supported by healthcare inflation, regulatory change, technological advances, geopolitical tension and market volatility. However, management said softer labor conditions and the Middle East conflict have prompted some clients to defer discretionary projects, particularly in Career. WTW repurchased $450 million of shares during the second quarter and paid $90 million in quarterly cash dividends, or $0.96 per share. The company continues to expect at least $1 billion in full-year share repurchases, subject to market conditions and potential investment opportunities. Krasner said foreign exchange provided a $0.06 tailwind to adjusted diluted earnings per share in the second quarter. Based on current outlook and spot rates, WTW expects an additional approximately $0.05 foreign-exchange tailwind in the second half, for an estimated full-year benefit of about $0.35. Management reaffirmed its 2026 outlook for mid-single-digit enterprise organic growth, annual adjusted operating margin expansion and improving free cash flow. Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ: WTW) is a global advisory, broking and solutions company that helps organizations manage risk, optimize benefits and cultivate talent. The firm combines insurance brokerage and risk management capabilities with human capital and benefits consulting, actuarial and analytics services, and technology-enabled solutions. Willis Towers Watson serves a broad client base that includes multinational and mid-sized corporations, public sector organizations, insurers and investment managers. The company's core activities encompass commercial and reinsurance brokerage, risk transfer and risk-financing advice, and claims advocacy, alongside employee benefits and retirement consulting. This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected]. The article "Willis Towers Watson Public Q2 Earnings Call Highlights" was originally published by MarketBeat. View MarketBeat's top stocks for July 2026.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30

Willis Towers Watson Public Company Q2 Adjusted Earnings, Revenue Rise

MT Newswires

Willis Towers Watson Public Company (WTW) reported Q2 adjusted earnings Thursday of $3.35 per dilute

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30

Willis Towers Watson PLC (WTW) (Q2 2026) Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Growth and AI-Driven ...

GuruFocus.com
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Organic Revenue Growth: 5% for the second quarter. Adjusted Operating Margin: 19.5%, expanding 100 basis points year-over-year. Adjusted Diluted EPS: $3.35, up 17% year-over-year. Health, Wealth and Career (HWC) Organic Revenue Growth: 4% for the quarter. Health Organic Revenue Growth: 8% for the quarter. Wealth Organic Revenue Growth: 2% for the quarter. Career Revenue: Flat for the quarter. Benefits Delivery and Outsourcing (BD&O) Organic Revenue Growth: 1% for the quarter. HWC Operating Margin: 24.1%, an increase of 30 basis points year-over-year. Risk and Broking (R&B) Organic Revenue Growth: 7% for the quarter. Corporate Risk and Broking (CRB) Organic Revenue Growth: 7% for the quarter. Insurance Consulting and Technology (ICT) Organic Revenue Growth: 6% for the quarter. R&B Operating Margin: 22.2%, an increase of 100 basis points year-over-year. Free Cash Flow: $360 million for the six months ended June 30, up from $217 million in the prior year first half. Share Repurchases: $450 million in the quarter. Dividends: $90 million or $0.96 per share paid in the quarter. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Warning Sign with WTW. Is WTW fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Release Date: July 30, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Willis Towers Watson PLC (NASDAQ:WTW) delivered strong Q2 results with 5% organic growth, 100 bps of adjusted operating margin expansion, and 17% adjusted EPS growth. The company announced 'Propel,' an AI acceleration plan expected to generate $400 million in run-rate savings and deliver $350 million in net savings by 2028. Propel provides a clear path to an adjusted operating margin of approximately 30% in 2028, with targets of 35% in HWC and 30% in R&B. Risk and Broking (R&B) saw 7% organic growth, driven by broad-based strength across geographies and specialty lines, including double-digit growth in almost all specialty businesses. The company is seeing tangible AI-driven efficiencies, such as reducing schedule generation from four hours to five minutes and cutting real estate premium allocation time from weeks to minutes. Persistent headwinds in the Middle East and a softer labor market are causing clients to defer discretionary projects, notably a nearly 50% decline in project work in Korea and…Read full document

This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Organic Revenue Growth: 5% for the second quarter. Adjusted Operating Margin: 19.5%, expanding 100 basis points year-over-year. Adjusted Diluted EPS: $3.35, up 17% year-over-year. Health, Wealth and Career (HWC) Organic Revenue Growth: 4% for the quarter. Health Organic Revenue Growth: 8% for the quarter. Wealth Organic Revenue Growth: 2% for the quarter. Career Revenue: Flat for the quarter. Benefits Delivery and Outsourcing (BD&O) Organic Revenue Growth: 1% for the quarter. HWC Operating Margin: 24.1%, an increase of 30 basis points year-over-year. Risk and Broking (R&B) Organic Revenue Growth: 7% for the quarter. Corporate Risk and Broking (CRB) Organic Revenue Growth: 7% for the quarter. Insurance Consulting and Technology (ICT) Organic Revenue Growth: 6% for the quarter. R&B Operating Margin: 22.2%, an increase of 100 basis points year-over-year. Free Cash Flow: $360 million for the six months ended June 30, up from $217 million in the prior year first half. Share Repurchases: $450 million in the quarter. Dividends: $90 million or $0.96 per share paid in the quarter. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Warning Sign with WTW. Is WTW fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Release Date: July 30, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Willis Towers Watson PLC (NASDAQ:WTW) delivered strong Q2 results with 5% organic growth, 100 bps of adjusted operating margin expansion, and 17% adjusted EPS growth. The company announced 'Propel,' an AI acceleration plan expected to generate $400 million in run-rate savings and deliver $350 million in net savings by 2028. Propel provides a clear path to an adjusted operating margin of approximately 30% in 2028, with targets of 35% in HWC and 30% in R&B. Risk and Broking (R&B) saw 7% organic growth, driven by broad-based strength across geographies and specialty lines, including double-digit growth in almost all specialty businesses. The company is seeing tangible AI-driven efficiencies, such as reducing schedule generation from four hours to five minutes and cutting real estate premium allocation time from weeks to minutes. Persistent headwinds in the Middle East and a softer labor market are causing clients to defer discretionary projects, notably a nearly 50% decline in project work in Korea and the Middle East. The insurance pricing environment remains competitive, with rates declining across most lines, though US casualty is a notable exception. The Career business within HWC was flat, as growth in communications and pay work was offset by constrained revenue due to the Middle East conflict. The Propel plan requires a significant cash investment of approximately $625 million, which will create headwinds to free cash flow until the program concludes in 2029. Benefits Delivery and Outsourcing (BD&O) grew only 1% organically, as expanded engagements were partially offset by lower individual marketplace commissions outside the annual enrollment period. Here are the key highlights from the Willis Towers Watson PLC (NASDAQ:WTW) Q2 2026 earnings call, focusing on the most significant Q&A exchanges. Q: Can you provide more color on the Propel AI acceleration plan, specifically what drove the decision to launch it now and how it differs from past programs? Can you also break down the $400 million in savings by source (e.g., people vs. systems)? A: (Carl Hess, CEO) Propel is an acceleration of what's already working. It's about creating capacity to invest in growth by putting proven AI capabilities directly in the hands of client-facing teams. The time is right because AI has advanced quickly and is additive to the value we bring. (Andrew Krasner, CFO) The financial case is about both growth and margin. The $400 million in run-rate savings will come from automating routine work, a simplified operating model, lower third-party spend, and retiring legacy technology. We are reinvesting $50 million of that for growth, resulting in $350 million in net run-rate savings by end of 2028. Q: How should we think about the expense flow for Propel through the income statement over the next few years, and will you report adjusted earnings excluding these restructuring investments? A: (Andrew Krasner, CFO) The majority of the ~$625 million cash cost will be incurred in 2027 and 2028, with some in 2026. The costs will run through the GAAP income statement but will be adjusted out in our non-GAAP measures. We will report progress on both costs incurred and benefits realized on a quarterly basis. Q: Regarding the R&B segment's strong 7% organic growth, can you provide more texture on what drove the acceleration from Q1? Should we view the new business model as more volatile? A: (Lucy Clarke, President of Risk & Broking) The growth was high-quality and reflected the sequential acceleration we signaled last quarter, including a small amount of delayed activity from Q1. Growth was broad-based with double-digit growth in almost every specialty business, led by North America in construction, natural resources, surety, and M&A. We do not view the model as more volatile; one-off project revenue is a normal part of the business. We remain confident in our full-year outlook of mid-single-digit growth and 100 bps of margin expansion. Q: How is Propel differentiated from what competitors are doing, and will it lead to material staffing reductions? A: (Carl Hess, CEO) Propel is a deliberate choice to scale what we are already doing. While we will see some headcount reductions from automating less complex work, a central element is reskilling and redeploying capacity toward client-facing, judgment-based work that drives growth. (Julie Gebauer, President of HWC) In HWC, we already see results, such as a 60% reduction in system configuration time from automated document reviews. (Lucy Clarke, President of R&B) In CRB, tasks like compiling a schedule of insurance that took four hours are now done in five minutes, giving capacity back to our people for higher-value advice and new business. Q: When do you expect the revenue and market share gains from Propel to start showing up in results? A: (Andrew Krasner, CFO) Propel makes us more confident in our mid-single-digit organic growth guidance. The revenue benefits will build over time as we reinvest the $50 million and as client retention gains follow from improved service. We are not tying a specific growth number to a specific dollar of investment today but will update guidance as the benefits become more meaningful. Q: Can you talk about recent talent investments and how they impacted growth in the quarter? A: (Carl Hess, CEO) Talent is our most important growth engine. The returns on our investment hires have been strongly consistent, showing up as top and bottom-line growth. (Lucy Clarke, President of R&B) The investment hiring strategy has been a key driver of organic growth. We had a strong class start in the first half of 2026, and they are already contributing. Propel makes our proposition for talent even stronger by providing AI-enabled tools. Q: What is the proportion of business coming from WTW's broker facilities like Gemini, and is there room to grow that? A: (Lucy Clarke, President of Risk & Broking) Gemini is a full follow facility for our middle market and upwards business, taking up to 16% of a risk. It is almost completely digital and ensures we have dependable capacity for clients. We are happy with its current size but see room to grow, including developing a new facility called Aquarius for our SME business. Q: Regarding the free cash flow impact of Propel, should we assume headwinds in 2027 and 2028 before a step-change in 2029? A: (Andrew Krasner, CFO) Yes, you are thinking about that correctly. The margin will step up once the cash expenses related to Propel subside after the program ends in 2028. We expect free cash flow margin to improve significantly in 2029, commensurate with the margin expansion we will have achieved. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30

WTW Reports Second Quarter 2026 Earnings

GlobeNewswire
Revenue1 increased 9% from prior year to $2.5 billion for the quarter Organic Revenue growth of 5% for the quarter Diluted Earnings per Share was $2.43 for the quarter, down 27% over prior year Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share was $3.35 for the quarter, up 17% over prior year Operating Margin was 14.8% for the quarter, down 150 basis points from prior year Adjusted Operating Margin was 19.5% for the quarter, up 100 basis points from prior year Announced Propel, WTW's AI Acceleration Plan, to further scale AI and automation across WTW, targeting approximately 30% Adjusted Operating Margin2 in 2028 while positioning the Company for future growth Increased existing share repurchase authority by $1.5 billion LONDON, July 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WTW (NASDAQ: WTW) (the “Company”), a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026. “WTW delivered solid second quarter results, reflecting business momentum and disciplined execution,” said Carl Hess, WTW’s Chief Executive Officer. “This performance underscores the meaningful progress we've made embedding AI and automation across our business, enabling us to deliver higher-value client solutions and a more compelling colleague experience. Propel, WTW's AI Acceleration Plan announced today, builds on that foundation and is intended to further accelerate performance and enhance efficiency, creating value for shareholders and further strengthening WTW's differentiated position in the market. We remain confident in delivering on our full-year 2026 guidance and achieving our new 2028 margin target.” Consolidated Results As reported, USD millions, except % Revenue was $2.47 billion for the second quarter of 2026, an increase of 9% compared to $2.26 billion for the same period in the prior year. Excluding the impact of foreign currency, revenue increased 8%. On an organic basis, revenue increased 5%. See Supplemental Segment Information for additional detail on book-of-business settlements and interest income included in revenue. Net Income for the second quarter of 2026 was $231 million compared to $332 million in the prior-year second quarter. Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter was $529 million, or 21.5% of revenue, an increase of 13%, compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $470 million, or 20.8% of revenue, in the prior-year second qu…Read full document

Revenue1 increased 9% from prior year to $2.5 billion for the quarter Organic Revenue growth of 5% for the quarter Diluted Earnings per Share was $2.43 for the quarter, down 27% over prior year Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share was $3.35 for the quarter, up 17% over prior year Operating Margin was 14.8% for the quarter, down 150 basis points from prior year Adjusted Operating Margin was 19.5% for the quarter, up 100 basis points from prior year Announced Propel, WTW's AI Acceleration Plan, to further scale AI and automation across WTW, targeting approximately 30% Adjusted Operating Margin2 in 2028 while positioning the Company for future growth Increased existing share repurchase authority by $1.5 billion LONDON, July 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WTW (NASDAQ: WTW) (the “Company”), a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026. “WTW delivered solid second quarter results, reflecting business momentum and disciplined execution,” said Carl Hess, WTW’s Chief Executive Officer. “This performance underscores the meaningful progress we've made embedding AI and automation across our business, enabling us to deliver higher-value client solutions and a more compelling colleague experience. Propel, WTW's AI Acceleration Plan announced today, builds on that foundation and is intended to further accelerate performance and enhance efficiency, creating value for shareholders and further strengthening WTW's differentiated position in the market. We remain confident in delivering on our full-year 2026 guidance and achieving our new 2028 margin target.” Consolidated Results As reported, USD millions, except % Revenue was $2.47 billion for the second quarter of 2026, an increase of 9% compared to $2.26 billion for the same period in the prior year. Excluding the impact of foreign currency, revenue increased 8%. On an organic basis, revenue increased 5%. See Supplemental Segment Information for additional detail on book-of-business settlements and interest income included in revenue. Net Income for the second quarter of 2026 was $231 million compared to $332 million in the prior-year second quarter. Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter was $529 million, or 21.5% of revenue, an increase of 13%, compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $470 million, or 20.8% of revenue, in the prior-year second quarter. The U.S. GAAP tax rate for the second quarter was 19.8%, and the adjusted income tax rate for the second quarter used in calculating adjusted diluted earnings per share was 19.6%. Cash Flow and Capital Allocation Cash flows from operating activities were $474 million for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to $326 million in the prior year. Free cash flow for the six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025 was $360 million and $217 million, respectively, an increase of $143 million. The increase was primarily driven by operating margin expansion. During the quarter ended June 30, 2026, the Company repurchased 1,733,574 of its outstanding shares for $450 million. Second Quarter 2026 Segment Highlights Health, Wealth & Career (“HWC”) As reported, USD millions, except % The HWC segment had revenue of $1.27 billion in the second quarter of 2026, an increase of 8% (7% increase constant currency and organic growth of 4%) from $1.18 billion in the prior year. Health delivered organic revenue growth with positive contributions from all regions. Wealth generated organic revenue growth supported by higher levels of retirement work across all regions. Career revenue was flat on an organic basis as increased levels of communications project work and broad-based pay work were offset by constrained revenue in the Middle East due to the ongoing conflict. Benefits Delivery & Outsourcing (BD&O) revenue increased organically as expanded project work, new client wins and regulatory driven work in Outsourcing were partially offset by lower commissions in Individual Marketplace. Operating margin in the HWC segment increased 30 basis points from the prior-year second quarter to 24.1%. The increase was primarily driven by improved operating leverage and expense discipline. Risk & Broking (“R&B”) As reported, USD millions, except % The R&B segment had revenue of $1.16 billion in the second quarter of 2026, an increase of 11% (10% increase constant currency and organic growth of 7%) from $1.05 billion in the prior year. Corporate Risk & Broking (CRB) had organic revenue growth driven by new business activity and strong client retention globally. Insurance Consulting and Technology (ICT) delivered organic revenue growth primarily from strong software sales in the Technology practice. Operating margin in the R&B segment increased 100 basis points from the prior-year second quarter to 22.2%. The increase was primarily driven by operating leverage. Share Repurchase Program Today, the Company announced that its Board of Directors approved an increase to the existing share repurchase authority in the amount of $1.5 billion. The $1.5 billion increase is in addition to the approximately $500 million remaining on the current open-ended repurchase authority. The Company is authorized to repurchase shares, by way of redemption or otherwise, and will consider whether to do so from time to time, based on many factors, including market and economic conditions, applicable legal requirements and other business considerations. Propel Concurrent with its second quarter results, WTW announced Propel to embed artificial intelligence and automation across the enterprise, expected to be completed by the end of 2028. Supported by the Company's ongoing investments in AI, data and technology, including the acquisition of Newfront, Propel is expected to enhance client service and create additional opportunities for growth as well as streamline core operating processes. WTW expects these efforts to accelerate performance and enhance efficiency, reinforcing WTW's strengths. The Company expects to invest approximately $625 million of cash and incur approximately $25 million in non-cash charges to generate approximately $400 million in run-rate savings, delivering a cash-cost-to-achieve ratio of approximately 1.6 times. After reinvesting approximately $50 million to support growth, the Company expects to deliver approximately $350 million in net run-rate savings and approximately 30% adjusted operating margin in 2028. The Company’s full-year 2026 guidance remains unchanged. Please refer to the most recent supplemental slides in the Investor Relations section of the Company's website for further details. Select 2026 Financial Considerations Adjusted operating margin: Continued annual margin expansion at the enterprise level driven by: Segment organic revenue: Health, Wealth & Career: Mid-single digits (MSD) Risk & Broking: MSD Willis Re joint venture: Expected to be a headwind on Adjusted Diluted EPS of ~$0.30 The remaining equity investments in the interest in earnings of associates line are not expected to be material in 2026 Newfront acquisition: Expected to be ~$0.10 dilutive to Adjusted EPS in 2026 Expected 2026 post-close revenue of ~$250M and an adjusted EBITDA margin of ~26% Newfront’s Total Rewards business segment (~42%) will be included in HWC and Newfront’s Business Insurance business segment (~58%) will be included in R&B Capital allocation: Expect share repurchases of $1.0B or greater, subject to market conditions and potential capital allocation to organic and inorganic investment opportunities Free cash flow: Continual improvement in FCF margin primarily from operating margin expansion along with evolving our business mix Foreign exchange: Expect an incremental foreign currency tailwind on Adjusted Diluted EPS of ~$0.05 for the remainder of 2026, resulting in a ~$0.35 tailwind for the full year 2026 at today's rates The 2026 Financial Considerations above include Non-GAAP financial measures. We do not reconcile forward-looking Non-GAAP measures for reasons explained under "WTW Non-GAAP Measures" below. Conference Call The Company will host a conference call to discuss the financial results for the second quarter 2026, including an update on strategic priorities. It will be held on Thursday, July 30, 2026, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. A live, listen-only webcast of the conference call will be available on WTW’s website. Analysts and institutional investors may participate in the conference call’s question-and-answer session by registering in advance here. An online replay will be available at investors.wtwco.com shortly after the call concludes. About WTW At WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), we provide data-driven, insight-led solutions in the areas of people, risk and capital. Leveraging the global view and local expertise of our colleagues serving 140 countries and markets, we help organizations sharpen their strategy, enhance organizational resilience, motivate their workforce and maximize performance. Working shoulder to shoulder with our clients, we uncover opportunities for sustainable success—and provide perspective that moves you. Learn more at www.wtwco.com. WTW Non-GAAP Measures In order to assist readers of our consolidated financial statements in understanding the core operating results that WTW’s management uses to evaluate the business and for financial planning, we present the following non-GAAP measures: (1) Constant Currency Change, (2) Organic Change, (3) Adjusted Operating Income/Margin, (4) Adjusted EBITDA/Margin, (5) Adjusted Net Income, (6) Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share, (7) Adjusted Income Before Taxes, (8) Adjusted Income Taxes/Tax Rate, (9) Free Cash Flow and (10) Free Cash Flow Margin. We believe that those measures are relevant and provide pertinent information widely used by analysts, investors and other interested parties in our industry to provide a baseline for evaluating and comparing our operating performance, and in the case of free cash flow, our liquidity results. Within the measures referred to as ‘adjusted’, we adjust for significant items which will not be settled in cash, or which we believe to be items that are not core to our current or future operations. Some of these items may not be applicable for the current quarter, however they may be part of our full-year results. Additionally, we have historically adjusted for certain items which are not described below, but for which we may adjust in a future period when applicable. Items applicable to the quarter or full year results, or the comparable periods, include the following: Transaction and integration expenses – Management believes it is appropriate to adjust for significant acquisition-related transaction and integration expenses including changes in significant estimated acquisition earnouts payable and acquisition-related compensation charges. We believe the adjustment is necessary to present how the Company is performing, both now and in the future when the incurrence of these costs will have concluded. Gains and losses on disposals of operations – Adjustment to remove the gains or losses resulting from disposed operations that have not been classified as discontinued operations. Net periodic pension and postretirement benefits – Adjustment to remove the recognition of net periodic pension and postretirement benefits (including pension settlements), other than service costs. We evaluate our revenue on an as reported (U.S. GAAP), constant currency and organic basis. We believe presenting constant currency and organic information provides valuable supplemental information regarding our comparable results, consistent with how we evaluate our performance internally. We consider Constant Currency Change, Organic Change, Adjusted Operating Income/Margin, Adjusted EBITDA/Margin, Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share, Adjusted Income Before Taxes, Adjusted Income Taxes/Tax Rate and Free Cash Flow to be important financial measures, which are used to internally evaluate and assess our core operations and to benchmark our operating and liquidity results against our competitors. These non-GAAP measures are important in illustrating what our comparable operating and liquidity results would have been had we not incurred transaction-related and non-recurring items. Reconciliations of these measures are included in the accompanying tables with the following exception: The Company does not reconcile its forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the corresponding U.S. GAAP measures, due to variability and difficulty in making accurate forecasts and projections and/or certain information not being ascertainable or accessible; and because not all of the information, such as foreign currency impacts necessary for a quantitative reconciliation of these forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measure, is available to the Company without unreasonable efforts. For the same reasons, the Company is unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information. The Company provides non-GAAP financial measures that it believes will be achieved, however it cannot accurately predict all of the components of the adjusted calculations and the U.S. GAAP measures may be materially different than the non-GAAP measures. Our non-GAAP measures and their accompanying definitions are presented as follows: Constant Currency Change – Represents the year-over-year change in revenue excluding the impact of foreign currency fluctuations. To calculate this impact, the prior-year local currency results are first translated using the current year monthly average exchange rates. The change is calculated by comparing the prior year revenue, translated at the current year monthly average exchange rates, to the current year as reported revenue, for the same period. We believe constant currency measures provide useful information to investors because they provide transparency to performance by excluding the effects that foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations have on period-over-period comparability given volatility in foreign currency exchange markets. Organic Change – Excludes the impact of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, as described above and the period-over-period impact of acquisitions and divestitures on current-year revenue. We believe that excluding transaction-related items from our U.S. GAAP financial measures provides useful supplemental information to our investors, and it is important in illustrating what our core operating results would have been had we not included these transaction-related items, since the nature, size and number of these transaction-related items can vary from period to period. Adjusted Operating Income/Margin – Income from operations adjusted for amortization, transaction and integration and non-recurring items that, in management’s judgment, significantly affect the period-over-period assessment of operating results. Adjusted operating income margin is calculated by dividing adjusted operating income by revenue. We consider adjusted operating income/margin to be important financial measures, which are used internally to evaluate and assess our core operations and to benchmark our operating results against our competitors. Adjusted EBITDA/Margin – Net Income adjusted for provision for income taxes, interest expense, depreciation and amortization, transaction and integration, gains and losses on disposals of operations, net periodic pension and postretirement benefits, and non-recurring items that, in management’s judgment, significantly affect the period-over-period assessment of operating results. Adjusted EBITDA Margin is calculated by dividing adjusted EBITDA by revenue. We consider adjusted EBITDA/margin to be important financial measures, which are used internally to evaluate and assess our core operations, to benchmark our operating results against our competitors and to evaluate and measure our performance-based compensation plans. Adjusted Net Income – Net Income Attributable to WTW adjusted for amortization, transaction and integration, gains and losses on disposals of operations, net periodic pension and postretirement benefits, and non-recurring items that, in management’s judgment, significantly affect the period-over-period assessment of operating results and the related tax effect of those adjustments and the tax effects of significant adjustments. This measure is used solely for the purpose of calculating adjusted diluted earnings per share. Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share – Adjusted Net Income divided by the weighted-average number of ordinary shares, diluted. Adjusted diluted earnings per share is used to internally evaluate and assess our core operations and to benchmark our operating results against our competitors. Adjusted Income Before Taxes – Income from operations before income taxes and interest in earnings of associates adjusted for amortization, transaction and integration, gains and losses on disposals of operations, net periodic pension and postretirement benefits, and non-recurring items that, in management’s judgment, significantly affect the period-over-period assessment of operating results. Adjusted income before taxes is used solely for the purpose of calculating the adjusted income tax rate. Adjusted Income Taxes/Tax Rate – Provision for income taxes adjusted for taxes on certain items of amortization, transaction and integration, gains and losses on disposals of operations, net periodic pension and postretirement benefits, the tax effects of significant adjustments and non-recurring items that, in management’s judgment, significantly affect the period-over-period assessment of operating results, divided by adjusted income before taxes. Adjusted income taxes is used solely for the purpose of calculating the adjusted income tax rate. Management believes that the adjusted income tax rate presents a rate that is more closely aligned to the rate that we would incur if not for the reduction of pre-tax income for the adjusted items and the tax effects of significant adjustments, which are not core to our current and future operations. Free Cash Flow – Cash flows from operating activities less cash used to purchase fixed assets and software. Management believes that free cash flow presents the core operating performance and cash-generating capabilities of our business operations. Free Cash Flow Margin – Free Cash Flow as a percentage of revenue, which represents how much of revenue would be realized on a cash basis. We consider this measure to be a meaningful metric for tracking cash conversion on a year-over-year basis due to the non-cash nature of our pension income, which is included in our GAAP and Non-GAAP earnings metrics presented herein. These non-GAAP measures are not defined in the same manner by all companies and may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. Non-GAAP measures should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, the information contained within our condensed consolidated financial statements. WTW Forward-Looking Statements We have included in this document ‘forward-looking statements’ within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created by those laws. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our operations or certain considerations relating to our future results. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, that address activities, events or developments that we expect or anticipate may occur in the future, including such things as: our outlook; the potential impact of natural or man-made disasters like health pandemics and other world health crises; the impact of macroeconomic trends, including inflation, changes in interest rates, trade policies and other geopolitical risks; future capital expenditures; ongoing working capital efforts; future share repurchases; financial results (including our revenue, costs or margins) and the impact of changes to tax laws on our financial results; existing and evolving business strategies; our indebtedness; our ability to execute strategic transactions, including both acquisitions and dispositions, including our ability to receive adequate consideration or any earnout proceeds in return for any dispositions or integrate or manage acquired businesses (such as our recent acquisitions of Newfront Insurance Holdings, Inc. and Cushon) or effect internal reorganizations; demand for our services and competitive strengths; strategic goals; the benefits of new initiatives or investments in technology; growth of our business and operations; the sustained health of our product, service, transaction, client, and talent assessment and management pipelines; our ability to successfully manage ongoing leadership, organizational and technology changes, including investments in improving systems and processes; our ability to implement and realize anticipated benefits of any cost-savings or investment initiatives including our newly launched artificial intelligence acceleration plan (the ‘Plan’); our cybersecurity and privacy processes; our application of artificial intelligence technologies throughout our business and our ability to compete with artificial intelligence technologies offered by new or existing competitors; our ability to protect our intellectual property; our compliance with laws and regulations; risks associated with being an Irish-incorporated company; our recognition of future impairment charges; and plans and references to future successes, including our future financial and operating results, short-term and long-term financial goals, plans, objectives, expectations and intentions, including with respect to free cash flow generation, adjusted net income, adjusted operating margin and adjusted earnings per share, are forward-looking statements. Also, when we use words such as ‘may’, ‘will’, ‘would’, ‘anticipate’, ‘believe’, ‘estimate’, ‘expect’, ‘intend’, ‘plan’, ‘continues’, ‘seek’, ‘target’, ‘goal’, ‘focus’, ‘probably’, or similar expressions, we are making forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the Company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking disclosure is speculative by its nature. There are important risks, uncertainties, events and factors that could cause our actual results or performance to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements contained in this document, including the following: our ability to successfully establish, execute and achieve our global business strategy as it evolves; our ability to fully realize the anticipated benefits of our growth strategy, including inorganic growth through acquisitions; our ability to achieve our short-term and long-term financial goals, such as with respect to our cash flow generation, and the timing with respect to such achievement; the risks related to changes in general economic conditions, business and political conditions, changes in the financial markets, inflation, credit availability, increased interest rates, changes in trade policies, increased tariffs and retaliatory actions; the risks to our short-term and long-term financial goals from any of the risks or uncertainties set forth herein; the risks relating to the adverse impacts of macroeconomic trends, including those relating to changes in trade policies and tariffs, as well as political events, war, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and conflict in the Middle East, and other international disputes, terrorism, natural disasters, public health issues and other business interruptions on the global economy and capital markets, such as uncertainty in the global markets, inflation, changes in interest rates and recessionary trends, changes in spending by government agencies and contractors, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and long-term goals; our ability to successfully hedge against fluctuations in foreign currency rates; the risks relating to the adverse impacts of natural or man-made disasters such as health pandemics and other world health crises on the demand for our products and services, our cash flows and our business operations; material interruptions to or loss of our information processing capabilities, or failure to effectively maintain and upgrade our information technology resources and systems; the insufficiency of client data protection, potential breaches of information systems or insufficient safeguards against cybersecurity breaches or incidents; our ability to comply with complex and evolving regulations related to data privacy, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence; significant competition that we face and the potential for loss of market share and/or profitability; the impact of seasonality and differences in timing of renewals and non-recurring revenue increases from disposals and book-of-business sales; the risk of increased liability or new legal claims arising from our new and existing products and services, and expectations, intentions and outcomes relating to outstanding litigation; the risk of substantial negative outcomes on existing or potential future litigation or investigation matters; changes in the regulatory environment in which we operate, including, among other risks, the impacts of pending competition law and regulatory investigations; various claims, government inquiries or investigations or the potential for regulatory action; our ability to make divestitures or acquisitions, including our ability to integrate or manage acquired businesses or carve-out businesses to be disposed, as well as our ability to identify and successfully execute on opportunities for strategic collaboration; our ability to integrate direct-to-consumer sales and marketing solutions with our existing offerings and solutions; our ability to successfully manage ongoing organizational changes, including as a result of our investments in improving systems and processes or other initiatives, and in connection with our acquisition and divestiture activities; the risks relating to the implementation of the Plan; disasters or business continuity problems; our ability to successfully enhance our billing, collection and other working capital efforts, and thereby increase our free cash flow; our ability to properly identify and manage conflicts of interest; reputational damage, including from association with third parties; reliance on third-party service providers and suppliers; risks relating to changes in our management structures and in senior leadership; the loss of key employees or a large number of employees and rehiring rates; our ability to maintain our corporate culture; doing business internationally, including the impact of global trade policies and retaliatory considerations as well as foreign currency exchange rates; compliance with extensive government regulation; the risk of sanctions imposed by governments, or changes to associated sanction regulations  and related counter-sanctions; our ability to effectively apply technology, data and analytics solutions, including through the use of artificial intelligence, for internal operations, maintaining industry standards, meeting client preferences and gaining competitive advantage, among other things; changes and developments in the insurance industry or the U.S. healthcare system, including those related to Medicare, and any other changes and developments in legal, regulatory, economic, business or operational conditions that could impact our businesses; the inability to protect our intellectual property rights, or the potential infringement upon the intellectual property rights of others; fluctuations in our pension assets and liabilities and related changes in pension income, including as a result of, related to, or derived from movements in the interest rate environment, investment returns, inflation, or changes in other assumptions that are used to estimate our benefit obligations and their effect on adjusted earnings per share; our capital structure, including indebtedness amounts, the limitations imposed by the covenants in the documents governing such indebtedness and the maintenance of the financial and disclosure controls and procedures of each; our ability to obtain financing on favorable terms or at all; adverse changes in our credit ratings; the impact of recent or potential changes to applicable U.S. state, federal and/or foreign laws, rules and regulations, recent judicial decisions and case law developments, and any other relevant policy changes and legislative actions, including the ‘Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14’ (‘H.R. 1’) signed into law on July 4, 2025, on our business, operations or results; the impact of recent or potential changes in state, federal, and/or foreign tax laws and regulations, including those that may impose additional excise taxes or impact our effective tax rate, including H.R. 1; U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. persons owning at least 10% of our shares; changes in accounting principles, estimates or assumptions; our recognition of future impairment charges; risks relating to or arising from environmental, social and governance (‘ESG’) practices; fluctuation in revenue against our relatively fixed or higher-than-expected expenses; the risk that investment levels across our portfolio increase, which can amplify the impact of market downturns; the laws of Ireland being different from the laws of the U.S. and potentially affording less protections to the holders of our securities; and our holding company structure potentially preventing us from being able to receive dividends or other distributions in needed amounts from our subsidiaries. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive and new factors may emerge from time to time that could also affect actual performance and results. For more information, please see Part I, Item 1A in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, and our subsequent filings with the SEC. Copies are available online at http://www.sec.gov or www.wtwco.com. Although we believe that the assumptions underlying our forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of these assumptions, and therefore also the forward-looking statements based on these assumptions, could themselves prove to be inaccurate. Given the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included in this document, our inclusion of this information is not a representation or guarantee by us that our objectives and plans will be achieved. Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and we will not update these forward-looking statements unless the securities laws require us to do so. With regard to these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this document may not occur, and we caution you against unduly relying on these forward-looking statements. Contact INVESTORSClaudia De La Hoz | [email protected] (i) Components of revenue change may not add due to rounding.(ii) Interest income did not contribute to organic change for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026. BOOK-OF-BUSINESS SETTLEMENTS AND INTEREST INCOME SEGMENT OPERATING INCOME (i) (i) Segment operating income excludes certain costs, including amortization of intangibles, transaction and integration expenses, and to the extent that the actual expense based upon which allocations are made differs from the forecast/budget amount, a reconciling item will be created between internally-allocated expenses and the actual expenses reported for U.S. GAAP purposes. SEGMENT OPERATING MARGINS RECONCILIATIONS OF SEGMENT OPERATING INCOME TO INCOME FROM OPERATIONS BEFORE INCOME TAXES AND INTEREST IN EARNINGS OF ASSOCIATES (i) Primarily includes share-based compensation and other transaction-related costs attributable to our Newfront acquisition. (ii) Includes certain costs, primarily related to corporate functions which are not directly related to the segments, and certain differences between budgeted expenses determined at the beginning of the year and actual expenses that we report for U.S. GAAP purposes. (i) The tax effect was calculated using an effective tax rate for each item.(ii) Per share values and totals may differ due to rounding. (i) The tax effect was calculated using an effective tax rate for each item. ______________(i)  Equity includes (a) Ordinary shares $0.000304635 nominal value; Authorized 1,510,003,775; Issued 93,003,869 (2026) and 95,079,835 (2025); Outstanding 93,003,869 (2026) and 95,079,835 (2025) and (b) Preference shares, $0.000115 nominal value; Authorized 1,000,000,000 and Issued none in 2026 and 2025. ______________(i)  The amounts of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, their respective classification on the condensed consolidated balance sheets, as well as their respective portions of the increase or decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash for each of the periods presented have been included in the Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information section. (i) Does not include the effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30

WTW Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates on Revenue Growth and Margin Gains

Zacks
Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company WTW reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $3.35 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.13 by 7%. Earnings increased 17% year over year.Revenues rose 9% to $2.46 billion and surpassed the consensus estimate of $2.42 billion by 1.7%. Organic revenues grew 5%, supported by gains across both operating segments. Adjusted operating margin expanded despite higher transaction and integration costs. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company Quote Reported revenues increased from $2.26 billion in the prior-year quarter. Excluding foreign-currency movements, revenues advanced 8%. Acquisitions and divestitures contributed 3 percentage points to the quarterly change.Adjusted EBITDA increased 13% year over year to $529 million. The related margin widened 70 basis points to 21.5%, reflecting improved operating leverage and stronger adjusted profitability.The total costs of providing services increased 11% year over year to $2.1 billion due to higher salaries and benefits, other operating expenses, and amortization and transaction and integration expenses. Our estimate was pegged at $2 billion. Health, Wealth & Career revenues increased 8% year over year to $1.27 billion. Our estimate was pegged at $1.26 billion. Revenues rose 7% on a constant-currency basis and 4% organically. Health generated organic growth across all regions, while Wealth benefited from higher retirement-related activity.Career revenues were unchanged organically. Higher communications project and compensation work was offset by pressure in the Middle East. Benefits Delivery & Outsourcing gained from project activity, new client wins and regulatory work, partly offset by lower Individual Marketplace commissions.The segment’s operating income rose 9% year over year to $306 million. Operating margin expanded 30 basis points to 24.1%, driven by expense discipline and improved operating leverage. Risk & Broking revenues advanced 11% to $1.16 billion. Our estimate was pegged at $1.12 billion. Constant-currency revenues increased 10%, while organic growth reached 7%, the stronger rate among WTW’s two operating segments.Corporate Risk & Broking benefited from new business activity and strong client retention worldwide. Insurance Consulting and Technology recor…Read full document

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company WTW reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $3.35 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.13 by 7%. Earnings increased 17% year over year.Revenues rose 9% to $2.46 billion and surpassed the consensus estimate of $2.42 billion by 1.7%. Organic revenues grew 5%, supported by gains across both operating segments. Adjusted operating margin expanded despite higher transaction and integration costs. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company Quote Reported revenues increased from $2.26 billion in the prior-year quarter. Excluding foreign-currency movements, revenues advanced 8%. Acquisitions and divestitures contributed 3 percentage points to the quarterly change.Adjusted EBITDA increased 13% year over year to $529 million. The related margin widened 70 basis points to 21.5%, reflecting improved operating leverage and stronger adjusted profitability.The total costs of providing services increased 11% year over year to $2.1 billion due to higher salaries and benefits, other operating expenses, and amortization and transaction and integration expenses. Our estimate was pegged at $2 billion. Health, Wealth & Career revenues increased 8% year over year to $1.27 billion. Our estimate was pegged at $1.26 billion. Revenues rose 7% on a constant-currency basis and 4% organically. Health generated organic growth across all regions, while Wealth benefited from higher retirement-related activity.Career revenues were unchanged organically. Higher communications project and compensation work was offset by pressure in the Middle East. Benefits Delivery & Outsourcing gained from project activity, new client wins and regulatory work, partly offset by lower Individual Marketplace commissions.The segment’s operating income rose 9% year over year to $306 million. Operating margin expanded 30 basis points to 24.1%, driven by expense discipline and improved operating leverage. Risk & Broking revenues advanced 11% to $1.16 billion. Our estimate was pegged at $1.12 billion. Constant-currency revenues increased 10%, while organic growth reached 7%, the stronger rate among WTW’s two operating segments.Corporate Risk & Broking benefited from new business activity and strong client retention worldwide. Insurance Consulting and Technology recorded organic growth, primarily reflecting robust software sales in its Technology practice.Segment operating income climbed 16% year over year to $258 million. Operating margin improved 100 basis points to 22.2% on operating leverage. Adjusted operating income increased 15% year over year to $480 million. Adjusted operating margin expanded 100 basis points to 19.5%, indicating that underlying profit growth outpaced the increase in revenues.On a reported basis, income from operations declined 1% year over year to $364 million. Operating margin contracted 150 basis points to 14.8%, partly reflecting transaction and integration expenses of $61 million compared with $2 million a year earlier.Net income fell 30% year over year to $231 million, while diluted GAAP earnings decreased 27% to $2.43 per share. The divergence from adjusted results reflected acquisition-related and other excluded items. Operating cash flow totaled $474 million during the first six months of 2026, up 45.4% from the prior-year period. Free cash flow increased 65.9% year over year to $360 million, primarily due to operating margin expansion.WTW repurchased about 1.7 million shares for $450 million during the second quarter. The board also increased the company’s existing share-repurchase authorization by $1.5 billion, supplementing approximately $500 million remaining under the prior authority.Cash and cash equivalents were $1.63 billion as of June 30, 2026, down 48.1% from the end of 2025. Long-term debt stood at $5.78 billion and grew 0.4% from year-end. WTW introduced Propel, an enterprise-wide plan designed to expand the use of artificial intelligence and automation through 2028. The initiative is intended to improve client service, support growth opportunities and streamline core processes.The company expects to invest about $625 million in cash and incur $25 million of non-cash charges. Propel is targeted to generate roughly $400 million in run-rate savings. After reinvesting $50 million to support growth, WTW expects approximately $350 million in net run-rate savings.Management is targeting an adjusted operating margin of approximately 30% in 2028. The company maintained its full-year 2026 financial considerations, including continued enterprise-level margin expansion and share repurchases of at least $1 billion, subject to market conditions. WTW expects continued adjusted operating margin expansion at the enterprise level. Willis Towers expects Health, Wealth & Career organic revenues to be in the mid-single digits.WTW expects Risk & Broking organic revenues to be in the mid-single digits.In terms of the Newfront acquisition, WTW expects 2026 post-close revenue of $250 million and an adjusted EBITDA margin of 26%.WTW expects Newfront’s Total Rewards business segment (42%) will be included in HWC and Newfront’s Business Insurance business segment (58%) will be included in R&B.WTW expects share repurchases of $1 billion or greater, subject to market conditions and potential capital allocation to organic and inorganic investment opportunities.WTW expects continual improvement in free cash flow margin primarily from operating margin expansion along with an evolving business mix. Willis Towers Watson currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Brown & Brown, Inc.’s BRO second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $1.07 per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.9%. The bottom line increased 3.9% year over year. Revenues of $1.67 billion missed the consensus mark by 2.9% but increased 30.4% year over year. Acquisition activity supported the top line, while organic revenues declined 0.7%. Commissions and fees rose 32.4% to $1.65 billion, while investment and other income declined to $22 million from $36 million. Adjusted EBITDAC margin contracted 100 basis points to 35.7%. Adjusted net income attributable to the company increased 18.4% to $361 million. Everest Group, Ltd. EG reported second-quarter 2026 operating earnings of $14.85 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.8%. The bottom line declined 14.5% year over year. Strong underwriting income from its core businesses supported the earnings beat. Operating revenues of $3.96 billion decreased 11.8% year over year and missed the consensus estimate by 2.9%. Gross written premiums declined 19.4% year over year to $3.77 billion. Our estimate was $3.8 billion. Net premiums earned fell 12.6% to $3.49 billion, reflecting lower business volumes. Our estimate was $3.6 billion. Total claims and expenses fell 10.8% to $3.28 billion. Our estimate was $3.4 billion. Arch Capital Group Ltd. ACGL reported second-quarter 2026 operating income of $2.56 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.8%. The bottom line decreased 0.8% year over year. Revenues of $4.43 billion declined 6.9% year over year and missed the consensus mark by 3.1%. Gross premiums written declined 1.1% year over year to $6.13 billion. Net premiums written decreased 6.9% to $4.05 billion, reflecting lower volumes in the Insurance and Reinsurance segments. Net premiums earned fell 8.1% to $3.99 billion. Underwriting income fell 19.7% to $657 million. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (WTW) : Free Stock Analysis Report Brown & Brown, Inc. (BRO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Arch Capital Group Ltd. (ACGL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Everest Group, Ltd. (EG) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-30

Willis Towers Watson (WTW) Beats Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates

Zacks
Willis Towers Watson (WTW) came out with quarterly earnings of $3.35 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.13 per share. This compares to earnings of $2.86 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +7.03%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this advisory, broking and solutions company would post earnings of $3.59 per share when it actually produced earnings of $3.72, delivering a surprise of +3.62%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times. Willis Towers Watson, which belongs to the Zacks Insurance - Brokerage industry, posted revenues of $2.47 billion for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.56%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $2.26 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Willis Towers Watson shares have lost about 3.9% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 6.9%. While Willis Towers Watson has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Willis Towers Watson was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near futur…Read full document

Willis Towers Watson (WTW) came out with quarterly earnings of $3.35 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.13 per share. This compares to earnings of $2.86 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +7.03%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this advisory, broking and solutions company would post earnings of $3.59 per share when it actually produced earnings of $3.72, delivering a surprise of +3.62%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times. Willis Towers Watson, which belongs to the Zacks Insurance - Brokerage industry, posted revenues of $2.47 billion for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.56%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $2.26 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Willis Towers Watson shares have lost about 3.9% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 6.9%. While Willis Towers Watson has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Willis Towers Watson was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $3.57 on $2.49 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $19.53 on $10.49 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Insurance - Brokerage is currently in the bottom 35% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Another stock from the same industry, eToro Group Ltd. (ETOR), has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on August 11. This company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.61 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +8.9%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 17.4% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. eToro Group Ltd.'s revenues are expected to be $225 million, up 7.3% from the year-ago quarter. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (WTW) : Free Stock Analysis Report eToro Group Ltd. (ETOR) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

TranscriptFY2026 Q22026-07-30

FY2026 Q2 earnings call transcript

Earnings source - 84 paragraphs
Operator

Good morning. Welcome to the WTW earnings conference call. Please refer to wtwco.com for the press release and supplemental information that were issued earlier today. Today's call is being recorded and will be available for the next three months on WTW's website. Some of the comments in today's call may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those discussed today, and the company undertakes no obligation to update these statements unless required by law. For a more detailed discussion of these and other risk factors, investors should review the Forward-Looking Statements section of the earnings press release issued this morning, as well as in the most recent Form 10-K and other subsequent WTW SEC filings. During the call, certain non-GAAP financial measures may be discussed.

Operator

To provide direct comparability with prior periods, all commentary regarding the company's revenue growth results will be on a non-GAAP organic basis unless specifically stated otherwise. For reconciliations of the non-GAAP measures as well as other information regarding these measures, please refer to the most recent earnings release and other materials in the Investor Relations section of the company's website. I will now turn the call over to Carl Hess, WTW's Chief Executive Officer. Please go ahead.

Carl Hess

Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us for WTW's second quarter 2026 earnings call. Joining me today is Andrew Krasner, our Chief Financial Officer. Julie Gebauer, our President of Health, Wealth, and Career, and Lucy Clarke, our President of Risk and Broking, are also joining us for our Q&A session. In the second quarter, we delivered strong results with 5% organic growth, 100 basis points of adjusted operating margin expansion, and $3.35 of adjusted diluted earnings per share, up 17% over the prior year. It was a quarter defined by both marketplace success and cost discipline, with strong enterprise-adjusted operating margin expansion despite persistent global market volatility. R&B organic growth of 7% led the quarter, with broad-based strength across geographies and lines of business, underscoring the durability of our global specialty model.

Carl Hess

Health, Wealth, and Career delivered 4% organic growth this quarter in line with our expectations, powered by continued strength in health. We expanded adjusted operating margins, delivered double-digit earnings growth, and continued to return capital to shareholders, demonstrating the strategy we've been executing is delivering. Our strong top and bottom line performance this quarter demonstrates the continued progress we've made in embedding AI and automation across the business to help us deliver more effective and efficient solutions for our clients. While we're encouraged by these early benefits, we see an even greater opportunity to deepen the value of our offerings, accelerate performance, and enhance efficiency. As a result, I'm excited to announce Propel, our AI acceleration plan, which we expect to be completed by the end of 2028. Before I dive into the details, let me explain how we got here and why we are announcing this now.

Carl Hess

Over the past year and a half, building on our modernized technology and data foundation, we've invested extensively in creating and bringing in new AI tools, including through the acquisition of Newfront, to enable us to capture the next wave of productivity and growth. With the latest significant AI advancements, we intend to create a step change in performance. We expect to capture efficiencies and generate approximately $400 million in run rate savings through an investment of approximately $625 million, reflecting a disciplined cash cost to achieve ratio of about 1.6. We plan to reinvest a portion of the savings generated to support growth, ultimately delivering $350 million in net run rate savings. Together with our continued gains from operating leverage, this puts us on a clear path to an adjusted operating margin of approximately 30% in 2028. These gains are not just financial outcomes.

Carl Hess

They provide the resources to accelerate innovation across our business. We believe Propel represents one of the most compelling investment opportunities available to us. The combination of growth, productivity gains, and margin expansion we expect to generate offers attractive long-term returns while further strengthening our position with clients. That's why we're choosing to accelerate these investments now. The efficiencies we've previously captured have helped to fund investment and growth. This plan is designed to amplify that. On recent calls, we've shared some of the benefits of these investments. In HWC, our compensation intelligence tool, Rewards AI, now serves more than 5,000 client users, roughly double the number we cited last quarter, demonstrating the rapid adoption of our AI solutions and the value they're delivering for clients.

Carl Hess

We've also realized efficiencies in our core retirement actuarial work, where standardization, process improvement, and automation are allowing us to backfill roles globally at a rate of nine for every 10 leavers. In North America. For example, we reduced the time required for core valuations by 7% in 2025. Artificial intelligence is already delivering value across BD&O, with more than 20 AI capabilities now in production and additional solutions being deployed across service centers, member interactions, and administration operations. These technologies, which we package together as our Violet suite, are helping to improve service delivery, automate routine work and enhance productivity. With Violet, we've served more than 12 million plan participants while increasing use of benefit decision support by 52%, resolving more questions at the point of decision and reducing participant follow-ups by 60%.

Carl Hess

In R&B, we've been leveraging the capabilities of our AI-powered operating platform, Neuron, which combines our existing technology with Newfront's Navigator system. Willis Navigator enables us to deploy agents that work across multiple legacy systems, handling the retrieval and task execution that used to consume hours of manual work. The results are tangible. Schedules of insurance that once took four hours are now generated in about five minutes. Real estate premium allocations that used to take two to four weeks are completed in minutes upon receipt of binders and final premiums. Contract reviews that once required lengthy manual redlining are now available on demand, with the tool getting smarter over time. These aren't pilots, they're live and in daily use. One of the key insights from our experience to date in both segments is the power of bringing together business and technology expertise.

Carl Hess

By forward deploying engineers alongside our client teams to ensure there's both technical and business oversight of the tools we develop, we've been able to not just preserve, but enhance client experience and service quality. This model lets us move faster and have more impact than we believe is possible with a siloed approach. Propel represents an acceleration of technology adoption already underway across the company. Building on our technology deployment model and our successful experience to date, we plan to more extensively leverage our proprietary data, our process automation experience, and our AI capabilities to roll out new tools and solutions across our businesses. We expect these efforts to drive WTW's strategy forward to accelerate performance and to enhance efficiency while delivering innovations that improve client outcomes and reinforce WTW's differentiated strengths.

Carl Hess

Beyond these internal efficiencies, let me highlight how we're applying AI in the work we do for clients across our businesses. In Health, Wealth & Career, we're further embedding AI in our workflows for improved data ingestion and analysis, delivering enhanced insights that will allow our teams to provide solutions more quickly while maintaining the high standards our clients expect. We're also automating high-volume workflows from benefits calculations to claims processing while deploying AI agents to support both internal and external administrative processes and benefit communication delivery. Together, these initiatives will enhance our value proposition as we reduce clients' administrative burden, provide faster service, and enable our colleagues to spend more time providing high-value advice to clients. We're already putting this strategy into action, as demonstrated by the launch of our AI Workforce Transformation solution in June.

Carl Hess

This solution helps clients pinpoint where AI can drive the greatest productivity, accelerate change adoption, address workforce management needs, adapt total rewards programs, and reflect new workforce skills and expectations. AI Workforce Transformation is built on our proprietary data, expertise across HWC, and tools including Workview and Changeview, and provides precise, actionable advice. We're excited about our recently executed partnerships with TechWolf and Softeq that will help clients move to action faster than their competition. Just as importantly, we're applying the solution within our own organization to identify similar opportunities to improve how we operate across WTW. In Risk & Broking, we'll continue to enhance and implement Neuron, our AI-powered operating platform, across the entire placement life cycle from client engagement and broker assistance through carrier submission and claims.

Carl Hess

Neuron's enabling us to build auditable agent-assisted workflows that simplify complex processes, automate manual work, and equip brokers with intelligent tools that improve speed, accuracy, and client service. CRB has a number of digital placement propositions already live in select countries and lines, including cyber in North America and international property in the United Kingdom, enabling carrier submissions and binding with minimal manual intervention. Digital placement's been operational for over a year. We plan to quickly expand to more countries and product lines. In ICT, we see an opportunity to leverage our deep domain expertise, combined with our leading insurance technology, to deliver AI-enabled solutions that help insurers enhance underwriting, pricing, portfolio management, and claims, creating new avenues for technology-driven growth. We're also developing agents to operate our tools within our clients' environments. We're also enhancing how WTW operates internally by embedding AI across our enterprise functions.

Carl Hess

Through investments in AI solutions for finance, legal, HR, sales and marketing, and IT, we expect to improve speed in decision-making, improve front-office support, and create a more scalable and efficient company that can deliver better outcomes for our clients, colleagues, and shareholders. As you can tell, I'm excited about the impact we anticipate Propel will have on our business. Let me steal a page from Andrew and share some of the financial highlights. We expect to deliver adjusted operating margin of approximately 30% in 2028, with meaningful benefits in both segments. We expect a meaningful step-up in our free cash flow margin commensurate with our operating margin expansion after the conclusion of the plan. Importantly, as we execute on this plan and realize savings, we'll continue to invest in attractive opportunities over the long term, with approximately $50 million in the savings earmarked for growth investments.

Carl Hess

Altogether, we anticipate the successful execution of Propel will result in significant improvements in productivity, efficiency, and long-term growth. Andrew will provide more detail on these numbers shortly. Finally, I want to emphasize this is not a change in strategy. We're moving faster using technology, automation, data, and AI in pursuit of two key objectives of our existing strategy, accelerate performance and enhance efficiency. These are mutually beneficial. What we've seen so far is that when we use technology to work more efficiently. It allows us to operate more effectively for our clients. Part of why I'm excited about this plan is that it frees our colleagues to focus on the work that delivers the most value, the analysis, judgment, and solutions clients count on us to provide. We see the proof of that in our own performance. Times invested in building and expanding client relationships pays dividends.

Carl Hess

Let me provide you with a few examples from the quarter. In Health, Wealth & Career, our work and rewards team was selected by a Fortune five health solutions leader to anchor a multi-year enterprise transformation. What began as executive advisory work on leveling and compensation expanded into a broader mandate to implement our AI-enabled global grading system build a career framework, and design incentive compensation. In another HWC win, one of the largest banks in the U.S. selected us through a competitive open RFP to lead an end-to-end assessment of its pension administration model and define a future state roadmap. We won this engagement against traditional competitors and strategy consulting firms on the strength of our longstanding trusted partnership, our fluency advising large financial institutions, and our proven track record supporting hundreds of pension administration clients and millions of participants.

Carl Hess

These wins reflect the strength of our trusted client relationships, differentiated technology, and deep expertise tailored to a client's requirements. In Risk & Broking, our specialization strategy continues to be a key differentiator in the marketplace as we deliver value through our technical expertise, global collaboration, and client-centric solutions. This quarter, we displaced the incumbent broker at a leading global asset manager who selected us for a three year engagement built on our connected risk intelligence platform, which evaluates thousands of unique insurance program options and identifies trade-offs to maximize program efficiency. The win followed years of sustained senior-level relationship building and a tailored demonstration for the client's treasury and risk management teams. We're also seeing strong momentum in two high-growth sectors, digital infrastructure and power and renewable energy, where our recent investments in specialized talent and placement capacity are converting directly into wins.

Carl Hess

In power and renewables, we were appointed to build a multi-asset global insurance program for a major infrastructure investor developing a worldwide renewable energy portfolio. A win drawing on close collaboration among our private equity and power and renewables team across the U.K., Italy, and France, and on a longstanding client relationship in a highly specialized sector. In digital infrastructure, that same advisory-led relationship first approach won us a large-scale semiconductor fabrication project and a contractor site placement on a multi-billion dollar data center construction project for one of our largest clients. These wins demonstrate the depth of our relationships and the importance of our specialty focus. Lastly, I want to reiterate our focus on the third objective of our strategy, portfolio optimization.

Carl Hess

We recently completed our acquisition of SMB Scala & Mansutti, a prominent regional Italian insurance broker, strengthening our footprint and specialist broking position in Italy, one of Europe's largest, yet least penetrated insurance markets. Additionally, our Newfront integration remains on track with cost synergies pacing modestly ahead of plan. Our disciplined and phased approach is already leading to tangible benefits across our business. For example, as you may have surmised my earlier comments, we've integrated Newfront Navigator, rebranded as Willis Navigator, now operating as part of our end-to-end Neuron platform, allowing us to streamline more than 12 legacy systems into one. As part of Propel, we'll continue to evaluate ways to implement this technology in our other areas of our business as we build the intelligence layer for insurance, risk, and human capital solutions, just as we described when we announced the Newfront acquisition.

Carl Hess

To be clear, the synergies from integrating Newfront are separate from and additive to the savings we expect from Propel. Let me conclude by providing some observations on market conditions. Some of the near-term headwinds we called out previously have persisted, with conditions in the Middle East and a softer labor market leading certain clients to defer discretionary projects, particularly in career, where we absorbed a nearly 50% decline in project work in the Middle East. That said, we continue to see high healthcare inflation, regulatory change, rapid technological advancements, elevated geopolitical tension, economic uncertainty, and market volatility driving robust demand for our advice and solutions. Our emphasis on specialization, data and analytics, and connected advice continues to resonate, especially in a risk environment that's moving faster than ever.

Carl Hess

For example, our latest directors and officers survey found that geopolitical risk now ranks among the top seven concerns for boards, up from 15th a year ago. AI is now cited as a very or extremely important risk by well over half of respondents. As clients seek to adapt their businesses to these rapidly evolving challenges, they're increasingly leaning on WTW as a trusted adviser who can bring data, expertise, and technology to the table quickly and efficiently. Thanks to our team's strong strategic execution over the past five years, WTW is already well-positioned for today's market, leveraging our proprietary data, specialist expertise, and trusted client relationships to deliver better outcomes. Propel will help us seize the opportunities we see to improve client outcomes, enhance our colleague experience, and create value for shareholders.

Carl Hess

We remain confident in our ability to deliver mid-single-digit organic growth, continued annual adjusted operating margin expansion, and improving free cash flow for 2026. With that, I will turn the call over to Andrew.

Andrew Krasner

Thanks, Carl. Good morning, and thanks everyone for joining us today. I'll first discuss our Q2 financials before I discuss Propel and how that strengthens our financial outlook. In the second quarter, we delivered organic revenue growth of 5%. Our growth figures throughout are on an organic basis, but I'll note that our recent acquisitions are performing well, contributing approximately three points to reported revenue growth this quarter at both the enterprise and segment levels. Adjusted operating margin was 19.5%, expanding 100 basis points over the prior year. Adjusted diluted earnings per share were $3.35, representing a 17% increase compared to Q2 2025. These results reflect the great client work being performed by our colleagues, our continued commitment to strong operational execution, and the benefits of our investments in talent and technology. Turning to our segment results, starting with Health, Wealth & Career.

Andrew Krasner

Organic revenue increased 4% in the second quarter, with growth driven primarily by continued strength in Health and a steady performance from Wealth. We remain confident in HWC's full-year outlook for mid-single-digit growth and continued margin expansion. Health grew 8% organically, driven by solid performance across all regions, supported by new business wins and project work on top of our healthy recurring revenue base. Notably, this builds on the 8% organic growth achieved in the prior year's second quarter. We continue to expect high single-digit organic growth in Health for 2026, supported by demand driven by high healthcare inflation and the important role of our specialty solutions in helping clients manage rising health-related costs. Wealth grew 2% organically, reflecting higher levels of retirement-related activity across geographies.

Andrew Krasner

Wealth has delivered 3% organic growth for the H1 of the year, and we continue to expect growth at the high end of the low double single-digit range for the full year 2026, as we anticipate recent trends will persist across the business. Career revenue was flat as higher levels of communications, change, and broad-based pay work were offset by constrained revenue in the Middle East due to the ongoing conflict. It is notable that outside of the Middle East, our career business grew 3% in the quarter, with high single-digit growth outside North America. We expect momentum in career to improve in the H2 of 2026, supported by our expanding pipeline of opportunities, including regulatory-driven activity, a positive outlook for our compensation benchmarking practice, and our AI Workforce Transformation offering that Carl discussed. We continue to expect low to mid-single-digit growth for the full year for career.

Andrew Krasner

Benefits Delivery & Outsourcing grew 1% organically as expanded outsourcing engagements and administration contracts were partially offset by lower individual marketplace commissions outside of the annual enrollment period, which falls in the fourth quarter. This is consistent with our expected pacing for the year. We continue to expect low single-digit growth for BD&O for the full year, driven by fourth quarter activity based on our current pipeline for individual marketplace annual enrollment, client implementations, and regulatory-driven project work in our outsourcing business. HWC's operating margin in the second quarter was 24.1%, an increase of 30 basis points compared to the prior year, primarily driven by improved operating leverage and expense discipline. We expect to deliver continued margin expansion in 2026. Moving on to our Risk & Broking segment, organic revenue growth was 7% for the quarter.

Andrew Krasner

Corporate Risk & Broking delivered organic growth of 7% compared to 6% in the second quarter of last year, driven by new business activity, double-digit growth in almost all of our specialty businesses, as well as strong client retention globally. North America led growth from a geography perspective with particular strength in construction, natural resources, surety, and M&A. This quarter's results reflected a sequential acceleration we signaled last quarter as some of the activity that had been delayed early in the year moved forward broadly as we expected. The pricing environment remains competitive. In the second quarter insurance rates continued to decline across most lines, with U.S. casualty a notable exception. Where rates continued to rise. Despite the softer market, our specialization strategy and the breadth of our specialty offerings position us to keep growing through the cycle.

Andrew Krasner

For the H1 of the year, CRB generated 4% organic growth, consistent with our full-year expectation for mid-single-digit growth. In the second quarter, Insurance Consulting and Technology grew 6% organically, following 5% growth in Q1, primarily reflecting strong software sales and new business wins, including multi-year deals in our technology practice. We continue to expect low to mid-single-digit growth for ICT for the full year. Turning back to R&B's results overall, we remain confident in our full-year growth outlook of mid-single digits and 100 basis points of margin expansion. R&B's operating margin was 22.2% in the second quarter, an increase of 100 basis points over the prior year, driven primarily by operating leverage on strong revenue growth and continued expense discipline, with no meaningful benefit from foreign exchange. Let me turn to our enterprise-level results.

Andrew Krasner

For the second quarter, adjusted operating margin was 19.5%, representing 100 basis points of expansion versus the prior year, reflecting strong operating discipline and expense management. A growing share of this expansion is structural, driven by AI and automation embedded across our operating model. We expect these efficiencies to compound as adoption scales, supporting the margin trajectory we have laid out. Just as important, the capacity these tools free up is being reinvested into higher value client-facing work and growth. The benefit shows up in both our margins and in the solutions we deliver. Foreign currency was a $0.06 tailwind to adjusted diluted EPS for the quarter. Based on our current outlook and spot rates, we expect foreign exchange will create an incremental tailwind of approximately $0.05 in the H2 of the year, resulting in a tailwind of approximately $0.35 for the full year.

Andrew Krasner

Our U.S. GAAP tax rate for the quarter was 19.8% compared to -6.8% in the prior year, and our adjusted tax rate was 19.6% compared to 18% for the second quarter of 2025. We continue to expect our adjusted tax rate to be relatively consistent with the prior year. Free cash flow for the six months ended June 30th was $360 million, up $143 million from $217 million in the prior year H1. The year-over-year increase was primarily driven by operating margin expansion. As a reminder, our free cash flow is seasonally weighted toward the H2 of the year, and we expect the significant majority of full-year free cash flow to be generated in the H2. For the full year, we continue to expect to expand our free cash flow margin even while we begin funding Propel.

Andrew Krasner

This improvement reflects operating margin expansion, which preserves our capacity for continued capital return to shareholders. During the quarter, we repurchased $450 million of WTW shares, taking advantage of an attractive opportunity to deploy capital at prevailing market prices. We also paid quarterly cash dividends of $90 million, or $0.96 per share. Our current capital allocation priorities remain unchanged. We continue to expect share repurchases of at least $1 billion for the full year, subject to market conditions and potential capital allocation to organic and inorganic investment opportunities. We continue to view share repurchases as an attractive and disciplined use of capital, and we retain significant flexibility to return capital to shareholders as our free cash flow builds through the year. Before turning to Q&A, I want to expand on Propel, which Carl outlined.

Andrew Krasner

As he noted, given the benefits we've seen from our technology investments to date, we are accelerating our focus in these areas to drive growth and productivity across the business. We expect to generate approximately $400 million in run rate savings and reinvest a portion of the savings generated to support growth, ultimately delivering $350 million in net run rate savings by the end of 2028. The cash cost to achieve these savings is approximately $625 million, and we expect to incur approximately $25 million in non-cash charges. The roughly $400 million in savings will be driven primarily by process automation and by redeploying capacity from administrative work to client-facing work. As we scale AI and automation across the enterprise, we expect to streamline high-volume work, improve productivity, better align our workforce with strategic priorities, and enable our colleagues to focus on delivering greater value for clients.

Andrew Krasner

We also expect to benefit from a simpler operating model, better use of shared capabilities, lower third-party spend, and over time. The retirement of duplicative tools and legacy technology. Importantly, we view Propel as a highly attractive capital allocation opportunity. Based on the benefits we expect to generate, the returns on these investments compare favorably with other uses of capital available to us. While the costs are recognized through the income statement as incurred, we believe investing in capabilities that enhance growth, improve productivity, and expand margins is the right long-term decision for WTW and its shareholders. While our fiscal 2026 guidance remains unchanged, we're updating our medium-term margin target through 2028 to reflect the benefits of these initiatives. Let me walk you through those changes.

Andrew Krasner

We expect the benefits of Propel to begin contributing meaningfully in 2027 and to compound through 2028, resulting in an adjusted operating margin of approximately 30% in 2028. The pacing of the margin improvement will depend on when we take certain cost actions and make reinvestments to drive growth. As we realize these efficiencies, we expect to reinvest in businesses that we've previously called out as investment priorities, where we see durable accretive growth in attractive markets as well as additional analytics and scalable digital solutions that strengthen our client value proposition. Turning to the segments, let me first level set against our prior outlook. Our prior outlook ran through 2027 and was framed as annual margin expansion of roughly 100 basis points per year in Risk & Broking, and continued incremental margin expansion in Health, Wealth & Career.

Andrew Krasner

Propel gives us the visibility to extend that horizon and target specific adjusted operating margins of approximately 30% at the enterprise level, approximately 35% in Health, Wealth & Career, and approximately 30% in Risk & Broking, all in 2028. I want to be clear, these targets reflect more margin improvement than our prior guidance implied, and they build on the goals we laid out previously. While we are already confident in our ability to generate operating leverage, the implementation of Propel introduces an incremental margin expansion opportunity that we are well-positioned to capture. Lastly, a word on free cash flow. As we've said previously, we expect our free cash flow margin to improve in line with our adjusted operating margin.

Andrew Krasner

Consistent with that, once the plan is complete and the related cash costs subside in 2029, we expect a significant improvement in free cash flow margin, reflecting the stepped-up adjusted operating margin we'll be generating at that point. Importantly, we do not expect Propel to have a meaningful impact on our near-term capital return plans, including share repurchases. Over time, we expect it to enhance our ability to return capital to shareholders. We believe Propel creates a clear path to a more efficient, technology-enabled operating model while preserving the expertise and client relationships that differentiate WTW. We will remain disciplined on execution, benefit realization, and reinvestment as the program scales. Our second quarter results reflect that same discipline across the business and continue progress against our strategic and financial objectives, reinforcing our confidence in delivering on our commitments. With that, let's open it up for Q&A.

Operator

To ask a question, please press star, one, one on your telephone and wait for your name to be announced. To withdraw your question, please press star, one, one again. In the interest of time, we ask that you please limit yourself to one question and one follow-up. Please stand by while we compile the Q&A roster. Our first question comes from Michael Zaremski with BMO. Your line is open.

Michael Zaremski

Hi. Thanks. Good morning. I'll stick with the R&B segment for my question and follow-up. Just thinking about the very healthy acceleration in organic and R&B, maybe you can add more texture on what drove that and sticking with that acceleration relative to 1Q. I guess, should we ultimately think about the new business model, the global specialization model, being a bit more maybe volatile or chunky revenue base versus the previous Willis model? Thanks.

Andrew Krasner

Yeah, thanks for the question, Michael, we were very pleased with the 7% organic growth in R&B for the quarter. That's on top of the 6% we delivered in the same quarter last year. CRB also grew 7% organically against the 6% comparable a year ago as well. We do think our specialization strategy and our investments in talent and technology innovation are driving the business forward with new business wins and strong client retention. The investments I just mentioned are those that will continue to benefit from Propel, adding to the roughly 100 basis point average annual margin expansion we've talked about in the past in R&B and underpinning our new path to about a 30% adjusted operating margin at R&B by 2028.

Andrew Krasner

R&B's growth and margin trajectory are both strong, and I'd also like to cite the momentum ICT carried into the quarter as well, with 6% organic in the quarter. Lucy, can you elaborate?

Lucy Clarke

Sure. Thanks, Michael. As Carl and Andrew mentioned in their opening remarks, we did have a good high-quality quarter, which reflected that sequential acceleration we signaled last quarter. It did include a small amount of delayed activity from Q1 and CRB, which moved forward as we expected. In CRB, we generated strong new business across all global markets and had double-digit growth in almost every specialty business. We also had strong client retention globally as that specialization strategy you called out continues to resonate. By geography, CRB's growth was led by North America. In particular in North America, construction, natural resources, surety, and M&A. Great Britain grew really well, even against significant rate headwinds, and Latin America and EMEA were standouts on new business. Globally, we saw meaningful contributions from natural resources, construction, marine, D&F, and crisis management.

Lucy Clarke

Another really good quarter in ICT, driven by strong software sales, new multi-year deals in our tech practice. In terms of the outlook for the remainder of the year, we continue to expect softening pricing conditions in all markets, with the exception of North American casualty and a few specialty pockets. We have monitored our new business pipeline carefully going into Q3, considering the one-off project revenue we called out in Q3 2025. Our pipeline for the rest of the year is strong. Reminding everyone that one-off revenue itself is not unusual.

Lucy Clarke

It's always an important part of our business, I don't think that you should think of it any differently than you have before. We have excellent energy in the business, market share to grow into in every geography and every specialty, great momentum from Newfront people and tech, outstanding talent, contributing investment hires, an ongoing pipeline of new talent joining, plus the excitement of what we expect to achieve during the execution of Propel, our AI acceleration work. Just 26th, we remain confident in our full year growth outlook of mid-single digits and the 100 basis points of margin expansion. Thanks.

Michael Zaremski

Got it. Maybe just quickly, if I could follow up. Sticking to R&B's organic outlook, maybe nitpicking but would you be willing to discuss whether lower end or higher end of mid-single digit growth. Since that's kind of a wider definition, what mid-single digit means? I know that Q3 could be a tough comp because of the project work called out last year. Thanks.

Lucy Clarke

Yeah. Thanks, Michael. I think we'll just stick with mid-single digits, if that's okay. Thanks.

Operator

Thank you. Our next question comes from Elyse Greenspan with Wells Fargo. Your line is open.

Elyse Greenspan

Hi, thanks. I wanted to go back. My first question is also on R&B. The organic was seven in the quarter. I think, you guys, Lucy, you just said that there was a small impact of timing, so maybe that's 1%. Correct me if I'm wrong. The core, I guess, would be six. Is that the right way to think about it or is there anything else? I understand recognizing last year's comp might be a little bit tough in the third quarter, but is there anything else in relation to thinking about that type of core number that you saw in the business in the quarter?

Lucy Clarke

Yeah. Thanks, Elyse. Not going to call out exact percentages, but just to say that it was just a small amount of timing. You will remember in Q1, because I think you are the person that asked me this question, that we were off of our own plan just a little bit, although we were further off your expectations. From our perspective, we're on a good trajectory for the year and happy with where we are at the end of the H1.

Elyse Greenspan

Thanks. My second question is on Propel. I guess I was hoping to just get a little bit more color on what drove the decision to do this plan now, and how you characterize it as being different than some of the past programs at the company. Is it possible, you guys both spoke on it during your prepared remarks, but of the [$400 million,] can you break it down by contribution in dollars from people and systems, et cetera, just so we could get a greater sense of the ultimate drivers of that [$400 million] savings?

Carl Hess

Yeah. Thanks, Elyse. I guess I'd put it this way. Propel is an acceleration of what's already working for WTW. Our second quarter shows our strategies working, and Propel's designed to capitalize on that momentum. As you may be able to tell, I'm pretty excited to be telling you about it today. It's been a while in making. It's about creating capacity to invest in growth, right? We're putting proven capabilities in AI directly in the hands of our client-facing teams. We're investing $625 million of cash to fund capacity to take routine manual work out of the day. That's going to give our brokers, our advisors, our consultants more time on the advice, the relationships, the new business that drives growth. In our business, the constraint on growth is the capacity to do high-value client work, and Propel frees up exactly that.

Carl Hess

We're going to reinvest more into talent, into high-growth businesses and geographies where we see the greatest opportunity. The time is right, we're moving at speed, as we laid out today. AI has advanced quickly, additive to the value we bring to clients, Propel is going to build on that. Propel sharpens our advice, it makes us faster, it's going to create a durable advantage for WTW. We're proud of the progress we're making. We are definitely excited to be bringing better advice and service to clients. I'll let Andrew kind of address the other thing.

Andrew Krasner

Yeah. Thanks, Carl. I want to build on where you ended, which is about creating capacity to invest in growth, because the financial case for Propel is just as much about growth as it is about margin. The growth comes from how we redeploy that capacity that gets generated over time. What I could put hard numbers on today, though is around the margin. Let me take a minute to do that. We expect Propel's investments to generate about $400 million of run rate savings by the end of 2028. We view that as a disciplined cash to cost to achieve ratio of about 1.6 times. We're deliberately holding back about $50 million of that to reinvest in growth. That's about $350 million in net run rate savings that fall to the bottom line.

Andrew Krasner

That's what underpins the 2028 adjusted operating margin targets of 30% at the enterprise, 35% in HWC, and 30% in R&B. This is additive, right? It builds on the roughly 100 basis points of annual margin expansion we've talked about in R&B and the continued expansion in HWC. Propel really accelerates that trajectory. It's not necessarily replacing it. Two other things I would just point out about the targets. First, they were developed from bottoms-up plans built by the teams who are going to end up delivering them on capabilities that are already live and already producing results across the business. Second, as it relates to capital Propel has an attractive ROI. It doesn't change our free cash flow margin outlook for 2026, and it doesn't change our capital return plans.

Andrew Krasner

We continue to expect at least $1 billion of share repurchases this year alongside our usual discipline on strategic M&A. Over time, we expect that this will enhance our ability to return capital to shareholders. We think Propel makes a lot of sense for us. In terms of just the categories of where we expect the expenses to come from, it's about automating more routine or repetitive work a simplified operating model of lower third-party spend, and also retiring duplicative and legacy technology over time.

Operator

Thank you. Our next question comes from Gregory Peters with Raymond James. Your line is open.

Gregory Peters

Good morning, everyone. Thanks for the additional detail on Propel. Clearly, the quick payback period looks really attractive. You spoke about growth and margins. Can we focus for a second on the expense side of the program? As we're listening to you talk about the opportunity, we're trying to update our models and trying to understand how the expenses are going to flow through the income statement over the next couple of years. Related to that, do you anticipate reporting adjusted earnings, excluding the restructuring investments, or will adjusted earnings include the restructuring investments, et cetera?

Andrew Krasner

Yeah, sure. Hi, it's Andrew. Just on the timing of expenses, there'll be some of it in 2026. I think a big majority of it will come in 2027 and 2028, and the cost savings will follow that spend. The cost will run through the GAAP income statement, but would be adjusted out in our adjusted non-GAAP measures. You'll be able to see it both ways. We want to try and be transparent as possible here. Also on a quarterly basis, we'll report out on progress of the program, both from a cost incurred and a benefit basis so everybody can keep track as we move along through the program.

Gregory Peters

Thank you for that. I just want to keep on the expense side, because that ripples through free cash flow. I think you said in your comments that the free cash flow conversion rate and growth will still be positive in 2026, despite the headwinds from the investment in this Propel restructuring plan. Should we assume that when we get to 2026 and 2028, when the bulk of the expense is flowing through your financials on this program, that we'll see some headwinds to free cash flow before it resumes? I think you said in your comments, maybe it was in the answer, that in 2029 a big step change with the margin improvement and the ending of the expenses. Thanks.

Andrew Krasner

I think you're thinking about that correctly, Gregory. I think the margin will step up once the headwinds from the free cash flow expenses. Sorry, the expenses related to Propel subside after the program. We would expect that to step up pretty much commensurate with the amount of margin expansion that we would get the benefit of over the course of that period.

Operator

Thank you. Our next question comes from Andrew Kligerman with TD Cowen. Your line is open.

Andrew Kligerman

Thank you, and good morning. It sounds from Lucy's comments that there's a real confidence in the pipeline and that clear vision for the mid-single digit growth. I'm kind of wondering about the broker facilities piece. I hear a lot about Gemini, I hear about differentiated broking solutions, and just the broker facility in general at WTW. Could you share a little bit on the proportion of business that comes out of broker facilities at WTW, and if there's an ability to grow that or you've kind of touched every area of WTW's CRB business?

Lucy Clarke

Sure, Andrew. Thanks for the question. Just to remind you, Gemini isn't even a year old quite yet. It's a solution for all of our middle market and upwards business. All qualifying classes go into it. It's a full follow facility, and it can take up to 16% of a risk. The facility is almost completely digital, so gets a very good selection of business, although clients can still opt out if they wish to. The advantage of Gemini is it means that we always have a block of capacity available. Should the market change, we want to make sure that our clients have dependable capacity available. We could increase that, but right now we're happy with where it is.

Lucy Clarke

We're also developing a facility for our SME business, so middle market and down called Aquarius, which is also digital and is a panel solution for our global SME business. Room to grow.

Andrew Kligerman

That's great. My follow-up is also on Propel. Just curious, based on Carl's prepared remarks, it sounds amazing. Is Propel differentiated from what you're seeing at some of your larger competitors, and how does that play out from a staffing standpoint? Will you be materially able to reduce staffing as we look to 2029 or 2030 or wherever?

Carl Hess

I look at it this way. In terms of differentiation, Andrew, Propel is a deliberate and timely choice to step up our investment across the enterprise in places where we're seeing growth. It scales what we're already doing across both segments today, and it's an investment in talent and product solution that we know is going to serve clients better. Andrew laid out some of the areas where we thought we were going to see some margin efficiencies out of this, and it's true that we'll probably, as we automate less complex and high-volume work, see some headcount reductions that go along with that. We view a central element of Propel is reskilling and redeployment. In other words, moving capacity toward the client-facing and judgment-based work that's going to drive our growth, right? That's why we're so excited about the revenue-enhancing potential here.

Carl Hess

Maybe Julie and Lucy can give some examples from your business of how you see this differentiating for us.

Julie Gebauer

Sure, Carl. In Health, Wealth & Career, we already have a lot underway. I think I'll just focus on three areas where we've generated some very strong results. I'll start with BD&O, which I think you know involves routine tasks like summarizing calls and a lot of time-consuming activities like reviewing complex plan documents. As Carl mentioned in his prepared remarks, we have more than 20 AI capabilities in production already in this business, and the initial productivity enhancements are quite promising. Our outsourcing service center representatives who are using these tools are spending a third less time on call backup work, and where we're using these tools for automated document reviews for new clients, system configuration time has gone down 60%. Turning to retirement, our actuarial evaluations involve a number of complex processes that we've historically connected with manual effort.

Julie Gebauer

In several countries in Europe, we've automated much of the work required to connect these processes, and that has compressed the total time extended on evaluation by about 10%. Turning to a little bit of a different example, across businesses, we're generating efficiencies with our client-facing AI solutions. When our clients get the information that they need through an easy-to-use tool, our colleagues don't have to spend time answering routine questions. You heard Carl say 5,000 client users are accessing compensation benchmarking information through Rewards AI. Our work and rewards colleagues can now direct their focus to different, perhaps more complex work for clients. With Propel, we'll be able to build on and scale these and a lot of other initiatives that we have underway. Move faster to the next set of opportunities.

Julie Gebauer

That's going to reduce our costs and allow us to grow faster. Lucy, over to you for R&B.

Lucy Clarke

Thanks, Julie. I'll just give you a few examples from CRB by talking about three fundamental pieces of the job we do for almost every client. First of all, something like compiling a schedule of insurance is important. It's cumbersome. It's time-consuming jobs. The teams that are using the new tools have seen what was at least a four hour project get done in about five minutes at a consistently high accuracy rate. Second, comparing policies, binders, and quotes now happens in a fraction of the time when the new tools are used. It even catches critical items that a trained eye can miss, and the combination of our team's verification and the high accuracy rates results in extremely high quality at a much faster pace.

Lucy Clarke

Third, our clients require millions of certificates of insurance per year. Our certificate agent is now running at accuracy scores even higher than we expected, turning client turnaround from hours into minutes. Every one of these examples gives capacity back to our people to do the work that's more valuable for clients and more rewarding for them. It takes out that manual grind. The guys can put that time back into advice, relationships, and winning new business. Thanks.

Operator

Thank you. Our next question comes from Rob Cox with Goldman Sachs. Your line is open.

Rob Cox

Hey, thanks. Maybe I'll just ask on Propel. It sounds like you can quantify the expense saves today, and the much more exciting piece perhaps, it sounds like to you all is the ramp-up in revenue and market share gains potential over time. When do you expect we could really start to see that in your results?

Andrew Krasner

Yeah, sure. Why don't I take that one on the giving some thought on the revenue side there. First, Propel makes us more confident in our guidance of the mid-single digit organic growth. This is as much a growth plan as a margin plan, as I said earlier. By taking the routine manual work out of the day-to-day, it gives our colleagues much more time on the advice, the relationships, and the new business that drives growth. It lets us reinvest in the areas where we see the most opportunity. Some of that is about adding talent. Some of it is about delivering sharper insights and better client experience, which strengthens client retention via the tools that we're building. Together with reinvesting in talent, in our highest opportunity businesses and geographies that's what compounds into durable growth over time.

Andrew Krasner

As it relates to timing, we're not going to pin this to a single inflection point or tie a specific growth number to a specific dollar of investment. The revenue benefits will build over time, and the phasing of that depends on the deployment of the $50 million that we're reinvesting, the productivity ramp of the colleagues that we add, which take time to reach full contribution, and the client retention gains that follow as clients feel the difference through our insight and service. As Propel takes hold, and the benefits show up more meaningfully in the top and bottom line, we will update our guidance appropriately. What matters is that this growth is sustainable, and we'd rather demonstrate that over time than put a fine point on an incremental amount of basis points today for now.

Andrew Krasner

For 2026, we continue to feel good about our mid-single-digit guidance for the enterprise in the segments.

Rob Cox

Thank you. As a follow-up on talent, I think last quarter you all mentioned expectations for increased contributions from new hires as we progress through the year. Can you talk about some of those recent talent investments and how that impacted growth in the quarter and what your expectations are going forward?

Carl Hess

Let me start. Maybe I'll ask Lucy to add some color. Talent is one of our most important growth engines, if not the most important engine. Our ability to specialize and deliver a better client experience is what sets us apart for clients and for talent alike. The returns on our investment hires have been strong. They've been consistent. They've shown up as top and bottom-line growth over the past few years, and the hires we're making this year are doing the same. It's a proven playbook, and one of the, again, reasons we're excited about Propel is it'll let us do more of it from an economic standpoint and as an employer of choice. We're building on something that already works.

Lucy Clarke

Shall I comment?

Carl Hess

Please do.

Lucy Clarke

Thanks, Rob. The investment hiring strategy, as you know, has been a key driver of our organic growth over the last few years in CRB and, if I can speak for Julie, also in health within HWC. It's been a highly successful strategy, which we're continuing to execute. We plan to keep adding strategic hires in the geographies and specialties where they have the most impact. Those hires are performing at or above our expectations consistent with prior years. We had a strong class start in the H1 of 2026 within CRB. They are already contributing, and we've continued hiring plans throughout the rest of the year and a rich, exciting pipeline of talented people that we expect to join us. The investments we've talked about in AI, Propel, makes our proposition for people even stronger.

Lucy Clarke

People have always been attracted to our brand reputation, the people, and the specialty model, but particularly our client-centric positioning. We're confident that by delivering on the AI-enabled tools and tech to really differentiate for clients. We send a very strong message, which will continue to attract and retain the very best talent in our industry. We're real excited to have dedicated reinvestments as part of this plan. Thanks.

Operator

Thank you. This concludes the question and answer session. I would now like to turn it back to Carl Hess for closing remarks.

Carl Hess

Thanks everybody for joining us this morning. As usual, I'd like to thank all our WTW colleagues for their hard work, their dedication, and their commitment to innovation, which all really showed up this quarter. Thank you to our shareholders as well for their continued support of our efforts. Have a great day, everyone.

Operator

This concludes today's conference call. Thank you for participating. You may now disconnect.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-29

Seeking Clues to Willis Towers Watson (WTW) Q2 Earnings? A Peek Into Wall Street Projections for Key Metrics

Zacks
Analysts on Wall Street project that Willis Towers Watson (WTW) will announce quarterly earnings of $3.13 per share in its forthcoming report, representing an increase of 9.4% year over year. Revenues are projected to reach $2.43 billion, increasing 7.4% from the same quarter last year. Over the past 30 days, the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been adjusted upward by 0.3% to its current level. This demonstrates the covering analysts' collective reassessment of their initial projections during this period. Before a company announces its earnings, it is essential to take into account any changes made to earnings estimates. This is a valuable factor in predicting the potential reactions of investors toward the stock. Empirical research has consistently shown a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and the short-term price performance of a stock. While it's common for investors to rely on consensus earnings and revenue estimates for assessing how the business may have performed during the quarter, exploring analysts' forecasts for key metrics can yield valuable insights. With that in mind, let's delve into the average projections of some Willis Towers Watson metrics that are commonly tracked and projected by analysts on Wall Street. The consensus estimate for 'Revenue- Health, Wealth and Career' stands at $1.26 billion. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +7%. Analysts' assessment points toward 'Revenue- Reimbursable expenses and other' reaching $29.99 million. The estimate suggests a change of +24.9% year over year. Analysts expect 'Revenue- Segment Revenue' to come in at $2.40 billion. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +7.6%. It is projected by analysts that the 'Revenue- Risk and Broking' will reach $1.13 billion. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +8.4%. According to the collective judgment of analysts, 'Segment Operating Income- Risk and Broking' should come in at $242.99 million. Compared to the current estimate, the company reported $222.00 million in the same quarter of the previous year. Analysts forecast 'Segment Operating Income- Health, Wealth and Career' to reach $308.66 million. Compared to the present estimate, the company reported $280.00 million in the same quarter last year. View all Key Company Metrics for Willis Towers Watson here>>> Shares of Willis Towers Wa…Read full document

Analysts on Wall Street project that Willis Towers Watson (WTW) will announce quarterly earnings of $3.13 per share in its forthcoming report, representing an increase of 9.4% year over year. Revenues are projected to reach $2.43 billion, increasing 7.4% from the same quarter last year. Over the past 30 days, the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been adjusted upward by 0.3% to its current level. This demonstrates the covering analysts' collective reassessment of their initial projections during this period. Before a company announces its earnings, it is essential to take into account any changes made to earnings estimates. This is a valuable factor in predicting the potential reactions of investors toward the stock. Empirical research has consistently shown a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and the short-term price performance of a stock. While it's common for investors to rely on consensus earnings and revenue estimates for assessing how the business may have performed during the quarter, exploring analysts' forecasts for key metrics can yield valuable insights. With that in mind, let's delve into the average projections of some Willis Towers Watson metrics that are commonly tracked and projected by analysts on Wall Street. The consensus estimate for 'Revenue- Health, Wealth and Career' stands at $1.26 billion. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +7%. Analysts' assessment points toward 'Revenue- Reimbursable expenses and other' reaching $29.99 million. The estimate suggests a change of +24.9% year over year. Analysts expect 'Revenue- Segment Revenue' to come in at $2.40 billion. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +7.6%. It is projected by analysts that the 'Revenue- Risk and Broking' will reach $1.13 billion. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +8.4%. According to the collective judgment of analysts, 'Segment Operating Income- Risk and Broking' should come in at $242.99 million. Compared to the current estimate, the company reported $222.00 million in the same quarter of the previous year. Analysts forecast 'Segment Operating Income- Health, Wealth and Career' to reach $308.66 million. Compared to the present estimate, the company reported $280.00 million in the same quarter last year. View all Key Company Metrics for Willis Towers Watson here>>> Shares of Willis Towers Watson have experienced a change of +21% in the past month compared to the +1.9% move of the Zacks S&P 500 composite. With a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), WTW is expected to mirror the overall market performance in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> . Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (WTW) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-07-28

Will Willis Towers Watson (WTW) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?

Zacks
Looking for a stock that has been consistently beating earnings estimates and might be well positioned to keep the streak alive in its next quarterly report? Willis Towers Watson (WTW), which belongs to the Zacks Insurance - Brokerage industry, could be a great candidate to consider. This advisory, broking and solutions company has an established record of topping earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The company boasts an average surprise for the past two quarters of 3.07%. For the last reported quarter, Willis Towers Watson came out with earnings of $3.72 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.59 per share, representing a surprise of 3.62%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $7.92 per share and it actually produced earnings of $8.12 per share, delivering a surprise of 2.53%. With this earnings history in mind, recent estimates have been moving higher for Willis Towers Watson. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the company is positive, which is a great sign of an earnings beat, especially when you combine this metric with its nice Zacks Rank. Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Willis Towers Watson currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.42%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner. We expect the company's next earnings report to be released on July 30, 2026. Investors should note, however, that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an…Read full document

Looking for a stock that has been consistently beating earnings estimates and might be well positioned to keep the streak alive in its next quarterly report? Willis Towers Watson (WTW), which belongs to the Zacks Insurance - Brokerage industry, could be a great candidate to consider. This advisory, broking and solutions company has an established record of topping earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The company boasts an average surprise for the past two quarters of 3.07%. For the last reported quarter, Willis Towers Watson came out with earnings of $3.72 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.59 per share, representing a surprise of 3.62%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $7.92 per share and it actually produced earnings of $8.12 per share, delivering a surprise of 2.53%. With this earnings history in mind, recent estimates have been moving higher for Willis Towers Watson. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the company is positive, which is a great sign of an earnings beat, especially when you combine this metric with its nice Zacks Rank. Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Willis Towers Watson currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.42%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner. We expect the company's next earnings report to be released on July 30, 2026. Investors should note, however, that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss, but a negative value does reduce the predictive power of this metric. Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate. Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (WTW) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

As of 2026-08-29 • Updated weeklySource: Earnings sourceIngestion runbook