5,460 Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Shares Sold by Cortland Associates Inc. MO

Key Points

• Cortland Associates reduced its Willis Towers Watson stake by 3.1%, selling 5,460 shares and retaining 168,986 shares valued at approximately $48.7 million. WTW represents about 7.1% of the fund’s portfolio.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $369.94. Recent target prices range from $360 to $400.
• Willis Towers Watson exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.63 in earnings per share and $2.46 billion in revenue, while year-over-year revenue increased 7.5%. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.96, equivalent to a 1.2% annual yield.

Cortland Associates Inc. MO reduced its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 168,986 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,460 shares during the period. Willis Towers Watson Public accounts for about 7.1% of Cortland Associates Inc. MO's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Cortland Associates Inc. MO owned approximately 0.18% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $48,707,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 183.7% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 316,158 shares of the company's stock valued at $91,907,000 after acquiring an additional 204,722 shares during the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management LLC Investment Advisor acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 2nd quarter worth about $32,052,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,058,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 86.7% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 190,955 shares of the company's stock worth $55,470,000 after acquiring an additional 88,659 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westport Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 2nd quarter worth $18,096,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WTW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $344.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $320.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Evercore boosted their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $374.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $381.00 to $394.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $364.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $369.94.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WTW opened at $325.51 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 52 week low of $240.61 and a 52 week high of $351.51. The stock has a market cap of $30.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.86, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.46. The company's 50-day moving average price is $314.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $297.34.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $3.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.59 by $0.04. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 22.19% and a net margin of 15.49%. The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.45 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.07 EPS. Willis Towers Watson Public's revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were given a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public's payout ratio is currently 23.43%.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company NASDAQ: WTW is a global advisory, broking and solutions company that helps organizations manage risk, optimize benefits and improve performance. Its clients include corporations, governments, institutions and individuals across a range of industries and markets.

The company's services include insurance brokerage and risk management, reinsurance, employee benefits consulting, retirement and investment advisory, and human capital and organizational consulting.

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