Bank of New York Mellon Corp Sells 16,812 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Bank of New York Mellon trimmed its Willis Towers Watson stake by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 16,812 shares and ending with 474,470 shares valued at about $155.9 million.
• WTW posted solid quarterly results, reporting EPS of $3.72 versus estimates of $3.65, with revenue of $2.41 billion and 8.5% year-over-year revenue growth.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.96 per share, payable July 15, while analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” with an average target price of $351.73.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp decreased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 474,470 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,812 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 0.50% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $155,911,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WTW opened at $263.54 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $24.89 billion, a PE ratio of 15.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $272.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $299.48. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a fifty-two week low of $240.61 and a fifty-two week high of $352.79.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 16.84%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.13 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WTW has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $379.00 to $351.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $384.00 to $380.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Bank of America cut their target price on 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. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $351.73.

Insider Activity at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, insider Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was bought 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 $5,982,976.29. The trade was a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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