Brandes Investment Partners LP Acquires 15,979 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Brandes Investment Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTWFree Report) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 275,591 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,979 shares during the quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $90,562,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WTW. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $429,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $875,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $811,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 12.6% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 14,806 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,538,000 after buying an additional 1,659 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 1.2%

WTW stock opened at $261.16 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 2.92 and a quick ratio of 2.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.23, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.43. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $271.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $298.51. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a fifty-two week low of $240.61 and a fifty-two week high of $352.79.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTWGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 16.84%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.13 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WTW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho cut their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $353.00 to $338.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. UBS Group cut their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $400.00 to $374.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Bank of America cut their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $354.00 to $347.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $363.00 to $354.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $350.00.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Willis Towers Watson Public

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke acquired 1,896 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 22,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. This represents a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Willis Towers Watson Public Profile

(Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW)

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