Alberta Investment Management Corp Purchases 15,400 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Alberta Investment Management Corp increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 12.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 15,400 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 140,400 shares worth about $46.1 million.
• Willis Towers Watson reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $3.72 per share, beating estimates by $0.07, while revenue rose 8.5% year over year to $2.41 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.96 per share, which implies a $3.84 annualized payout and a 1.5% yield; analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” with an average target price of $350.

Alberta Investment Management Corp grew its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 12.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 140,400 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,400 shares during the period. Alberta Investment Management Corp owned approximately 0.15% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $46,135,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 375.0% in the fourth quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 76 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 72.5% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 88 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

NASDAQ WTW opened at $255.20 on Friday. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a current ratio of 2.92. The company has a market capitalization of $24.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.88, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a fifty day moving average of $267.07 and a 200-day moving average of $295.61.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.13 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $354.00 to $347.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered 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 note on Thursday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $379.00 to $351.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Two 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $350.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at $5,982,976.29. This represents a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

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.

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