7,147 Shares in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Acquired by iA Global Asset Management Inc.

Key Points

• iA Global Asset Management opened a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public, buying 7,147 shares valued at about $2.35 million in the fourth quarter.
• Willis Towers Watson Public reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, with EPS of $3.72 topping estimates and revenue rising 8.5% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.96 per share from $0.92, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average target price of $351.73.

iA Global Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 7,147 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,349,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,372,970 shares of the company's stock worth $3,928,792,000 after acquiring an additional 103,784 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 184.1% during the 3rd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 3,632,191 shares of the company's stock worth $1,254,740,000 after purchasing an additional 2,353,768 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,096,882 shares of the company's stock worth $378,918,000 after purchasing an additional 58,607 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 984,832 shares of the company's stock worth $340,180,000 after purchasing an additional 30,387 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 56.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 745,074 shares of the company's stock worth $228,365,000 after purchasing an additional 269,794 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WTW opened at $256.86 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.92, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12 month low of $240.61 and a 12 month high of $352.79. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $282.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $305.71. The stock has a market cap of $24.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.98, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.45.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.07. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.52%. The business had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.13 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, insider Lucy Clarke acquired 1,896 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the purchase, the insider owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. The trade was a 9.11% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on WTW. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of 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. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $409.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $363.00 to $354.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $347.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $351.73.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

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.

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