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RYAN vs. WTW: Ryan Specialty vs. Willis Towers Watson Stock Comparison

How do Ryan Specialty (RYAN) and Willis Towers Watson (WTW) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Ryan Specialty (RYAN) and Willis Towers Watson (WTW) are both classified in the Insurance Brokers sub-industry within the broader Insurance industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Willis Towers Watson (WTW) has more than two decades of public-market history since June 12, 2001, whereas Ryan Specialty (RYAN) listed on July 22, 2021 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Ryan Specialty (RYAN) and Willis Towers Watson (WTW)
Profile ItemRYANWTW
NameRyan Specialty Holdings Inc.Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited Kingdom
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupInsuranceInsurance
GICS IndustryInsuranceInsurance
GICS Sub-IndustryInsurance BrokersInsurance Brokers
Market Capitalization12.10 billion USD30.33 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateJuly 22, 2021June 12, 2001
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

RYAN
WTW
GSPC
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Ryan Specialty (RYAN) vs. Willis Towers Watson (WTW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Ryan Specialty (RYAN) and Willis Towers Watson (WTW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Ryan Specialty (RYAN) and Willis Towers Watson (WTW). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ryan Specialty (RYAN) and Willis Towers Watson (WTW)
MetricRYANWTW
Total Return (1Y)-17.50%2.59%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)2.91%12.90%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)5.30%8.63%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

RYAN
WTW
GSPC
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Ryan Specialty (RYAN) vs. Willis Towers Watson (WTW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Ryan Specialty (RYAN) and Willis Towers Watson (WTW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ryan Specialty (RYAN) and Willis Towers Watson (WTW)
MetricRYANWTW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)43.93%31.09%
Beta (5Y)0.520.42
Max Drawdown (5Y)-60.94%-30.39%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.89M537.05K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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RYAN and WTW are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Ryan Specialty (RYAN) and Willis Towers Watson (WTW)
MetricRYANWTW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.50-0.05
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.67-0.07

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 25.15% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Willis Towers Watson (WTW) at 20.18% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for RYAN.

RYAN

Insurance industry group

25.15%

Max
41.68%
RYAN
25.15%
Q3
22.04%
Median
14.81%
Q1
8.79%
Min
-10.66%

WTW

Insurance industry group

20.18%

Max
41.68%
Q3
22.04%
WTW
20.18%
Median
14.81%
Q1
8.79%
Min
-10.66%
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Ryan Specialty (RYAN) vs. Willis Towers Watson (WTW): A comparison of their ROE against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Willis Towers Watson (WTW) at 15.22% keeps about the industry-typical share of revenue as profit, while Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 3.27% retains only a bottom-quartile share.

RYAN

Insurance industry group

3.27%

Max
29.92%
Q3
17.03%
Median
10.97%
Q1
6.21%
RYAN
3.27%
Min
-4.68%

WTW

Insurance industry group

15.22%

Max
29.92%
Q3
17.03%
WTW
15.22%
Median
10.97%
Q1
6.21%
Min
-4.68%
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Ryan Specialty (RYAN) vs. Willis Towers Watson (WTW): A comparison of their net margin against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for Ryan Specialty (RYAN) in Insurance and Willis Towers Watson (WTW) in Insurance, funding costs are part of the core business, so net margin and ROE are the cleaner profitability reads.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ryan Specialty (RYAN) and Willis Towers Watson (WTW)
MetricRYANWTW
ROE (TTM)25.15%20.18%
ROA (TTM)3.79%5.35%
Net Margin (TTM)3.27%15.22%
Operating Margin (TTM)----
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 21.28% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Willis Towers Watson (WTW) at -2.24% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Ryan Specialty (RYAN) vs. Willis Towers Watson (WTW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Ryan Specialty (RYAN) reports EPS growth of -33.80%, ranked against its industry; Willis Towers Watson (WTW) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Ryan Specialty (RYAN) vs. Willis Towers Watson (WTW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ryan Specialty (RYAN) and Willis Towers Watson (WTW)
MetricRYANWTW
Revenue Growth (YoY)21.28%-2.24%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)20.93%3.07%
EPS Growth (YoY)-33.80%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-3.31%21.88%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Ryan Specialty (RYAN) in Insurance and Willis Towers Watson (WTW) in Insurance both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Ryan Specialty (RYAN) in Insurance and Willis Towers Watson (WTW) in Insurance run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Ryan Specialty (RYAN) and Willis Towers Watson (WTW)
MetricRYANWTW
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 1.06% and Willis Towers Watson (WTW) at 0.29% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

RYAN

Insurance industry group

1.06%

Max
5.12%
Q3
2.15%
RYAN
1.06%
Median
0.98%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

WTW

Insurance industry group

0.29%

Max
5.12%
Q3
2.15%
Median
0.98%
WTW
0.29%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ryan Specialty (RYAN) vs. Willis Towers Watson (WTW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Willis Towers Watson (WTW) at 23.34% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 63.75% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

RYAN

Insurance industry group

63.75%

Max
76.67%
RYAN
63.75%
Q3
35.18%
Median
14.74%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

WTW

Insurance industry group

23.34%

Max
76.67%
Q3
35.18%
WTW
23.34%
Median
14.74%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ryan Specialty (RYAN) vs. Willis Towers Watson (WTW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ryan Specialty (RYAN) and Willis Towers Watson (WTW)
MetricRYANWTW
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.06%0.29%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)63.75%23.34%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on trailing earnings: Willis Towers Watson (WTW) at 20.20 sits in the richer P/E ratio quartile, and Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 59.66 is richer still, above its industry range.

RYAN

Insurance industry group

59.66

RYAN
59.66
Max
28.37
Q3
18.75
Median
12.23
Q1
9.08
Min
2.32

WTW

Insurance industry group

20.20

Max
28.37
WTW
20.20
Q3
18.75
Median
12.23
Q1
9.08
Min
2.32
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Ryan Specialty (RYAN) vs. Willis Towers Watson (WTW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 3.78 and Willis Towers Watson (WTW) at 2.95 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

RYAN

Insurance industry group

3.78

Max
4.03
RYAN
3.78
Q3
2.25
Median
1.23
Q1
0.85
Min
0.07

WTW

Insurance industry group

2.95

Max
4.03
WTW
2.95
Q3
2.25
Median
1.23
Q1
0.85
Min
0.07
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Ryan Specialty (RYAN) vs. Willis Towers Watson (WTW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Willis Towers Watson (WTW) at 3.91 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Ryan Specialty (RYAN) at 12.86 prices even higher, above its industry range.

RYAN

Insurance industry group

12.86

RYAN
12.86
Max
5.07
Q3
2.79
Median
1.76
Q1
1.23
Min
0.30

WTW

Insurance industry group

3.91

Max
5.07
WTW
3.91
Q3
2.79
Median
1.76
Q1
1.23
Min
0.30
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Ryan Specialty (RYAN) vs. Willis Towers Watson (WTW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ryan Specialty (RYAN) and Willis Towers Watson (WTW)
MetricRYANWTW
P/E Ratio (TTM)59.6620.20
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.782.95
P/B Ratio (MRQ)12.863.91
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----