Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW – Free Report) by 1.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 45,354 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 825 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $10,539,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WTW. LPL Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,713,000. Macquarie Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,203,000. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,942,000. Prudential Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 2nd quarter worth $18,677,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 2nd quarter worth $29,367,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.81% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research analysts have weighed in on WTW shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Tuesday, June 20th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $251.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com started coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $303.00 to $289.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. Raymond James reduced their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $275.00 to $270.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $260.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $265.38.
Insider Activity
In other news, insider Julie Jarecke Gebauer sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.44, for a total transaction of $578,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 79,740 shares in the company, valued at $18,455,025.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 7,000 shares of company stock worth $1,587,855 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.
Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 0.9 %
Shares of NASDAQ WTW opened at $235.08 on Wednesday. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited has a 12-month low of $188.99 and a 12-month high of $258.93. The company has a market cap of $25.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $228.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $236.33.
Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.22 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 14.76% and a net margin of 12.18%. The company’s revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.66 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited will post 14.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.84 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 29th. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.70%.
Willis Towers Watson Public Profile
Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company operates as an advisory, broking, and solutions company worldwide. It operates through two segments: Health, Wealth and Career; and Risk & Broking. The company offers strategy and design consulting, plan management service and support, broking and administration services for health, wellbeing, and other group benefit programs; actuarial support, plan design, and administrative services for pension and retirement savings plans; and benefits outsourcing services, including a suite of health and welfare, and pension administration outsourcing services.
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