Ameriprise Financial Inc. Has $38.74 Million Stock Holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Ameriprise Financial Inc. has reduced its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Company by 55.2%, now owning approximately 0.12% of the company, valued at $38.74 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Norinchukin Bank and T. Rowe Price Investment Management, have made adjustments to their stakes in Willis Towers Watson, signaling varied investor sentiment.
• Analysts' ratings for Willis Towers Watson Public are mixed, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $362.92.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. reduced its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 55.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 114,634 shares of the company's stock after selling 141,287 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $38,744,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,018 shares of the company's stock worth $682,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 35.6% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,208 shares of the company's stock worth $408,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 124.2% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,941 shares of the company's stock worth $1,670,000 after purchasing an additional 2,737 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 22.6% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 14,108 shares of the company's stock worth $4,768,000 after purchasing an additional 2,596 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 1st quarter worth approximately $406,000. 93.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WTW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $316.00 to $305.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $351.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $355.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $369.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $362.92.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of WTW traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $326.79. The stock had a trading volume of 370,858 shares, compared to its average volume of 584,259. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 52 week low of $283.29 and a 52 week high of $344.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $316.25 and a 200 day moving average of $317.24. The company has a market cap of $31.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.71.

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

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Willis Towers Watson Public's payout ratio is presently 252.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.75, for a total value of $505,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,982 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,783,316.50. This represents a 11.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.32% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company Profile

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.