4,926 Shares in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Acquired by Generali Asset Management SPA SGR

Key Points

• Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired 4,926 shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ: WTW), valued at approximately $1.51 million, during the second quarter.
• Willis Towers Watson reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, surpassing estimates, with a current market cap of $32.21 billion.
• The company recently announced a $1.50 billion stock buyback plan, signifying a belief from the Board of Directors that shares are undervalued.

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 4,926 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,510,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 750.0% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 85 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 122.9% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 107 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ WTW opened at $330.15 on Friday. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12-month low of $287.05 and a 12-month high of $352.79. The company has a market cap of $32.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 226.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $335.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $318.80.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.21. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.60% and a net margin of 1.40%.The firm had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.55 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.92 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 252.05%.

Willis Towers Watson Public announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, September 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 4.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WTW. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $355.00 target price on the stock. Wolfe Research raised Willis Towers Watson Public to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $369.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $351.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $369.42.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company operates as an advisory, broking, and solutions company worldwide. It operates through two segments: Health, Wealth & 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 program, including medical, dental, disability, life, voluntary benefits and other coverages; actuarial support, plan design, and administrative services for pension and retirement savings plans; retirement consulting services and solutions; and integrated solutions that consists of investment discretionary management, pension administration, core actuarial, and communication and change management assistance services.

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