Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Shares Acquired by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank increased its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 5.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 281,010 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 13,680 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.30% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $81,690,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 375.0% during the 4th quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 76 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 72.5% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 88 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $322.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $338.00 to $361.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $347.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $351.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Lucy Clarke acquired 1,896 shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 22,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. The trade was a 9.11% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 1.5%

WTW stock opened at $288.82 on Wednesday. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 52-week low of $240.61 and a 52-week high of $352.79. The company has a quick ratio of 2.92, a current ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market cap of $27.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.84, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.43. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $266.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $287.83.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.07. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 16.84%.The company had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.13 EPS. Willis Towers Watson Public’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.39%.

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.