Parnassus Investments LLC Raises Position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Parnassus Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 357,537 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,163 shares during the quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $117,487,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. IFM Investors Pty Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter worth $6,344,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter worth $363,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,669,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 1,098 shares of the company’s stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 360 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of WTW opened at $260.79 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.92, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.43. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $269.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $297.77. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a twelve month low of $240.61 and a twelve month high of $352.79.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last issued its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 16.84%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.13 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the transaction, the insider owned 22,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,982,976.29. This represents a 9.11% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho reduced their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $353.00 to $338.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $363.00 to $354.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $384.00 to $380.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $350.00.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company Profile

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.