Allstate Corp Purchases 4,112 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Allstate Corp boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 107.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 4,112 additional shares and ending with 7,947 shares valued at about $2.61 million.
• Several analysts recently adjusted their views on WTW, with ratings still leaning positive overall: the stock has a consensus Moderate Buy and an average price target of $351.73.
• Willis Towers Watson reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $3.72 per share, raised revenue 8.5% year over year, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.96 per share to be paid July 15.

Allstate Corp increased its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 107.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,947 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,112 shares during the quarter. Allstate Corp's holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $2,611,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Summitry LLC purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $284,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 749 shares of the company's stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,939 shares of the company's stock valued at $966,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 3,062 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,006,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 690,210 shares of the company's stock valued at $226,803,000 after purchasing an additional 10,697 shares in the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WTW. Morgan Stanley lowered 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 note on Monday, April 6th. UBS Group lowered 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 note on Monday, May 4th. Evercore lifted their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $383.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Truist Financial raised shares of Willis Towers Watson Public to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $351.73.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Lucy Clarke purchased 1,896 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly 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 acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ WTW opened at $254.04 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.92, a current ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 52 week low of $240.61 and a 52 week high of $352.79. The firm's fifty day moving average is $276.97 and its 200 day moving average is $302.63. The company has a market cap of $23.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.81, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.45.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.13 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors 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 yield of 1.5%. Willis Towers Watson Public's payout ratio is 22.39%.

Willis Towers Watson Public 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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