Barclays PLC Has $132.59 Million Position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 29.9% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 403,495 shares valued at about $132.6 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautiously positive, with the stock carrying an average “Moderate Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $350, even as several firms trimmed their targets.
• Willis Towers Watson recently reported Q1 earnings of $3.72 per share, topping estimates, and also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.96 per share to be paid July 15.

Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 29.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 403,495 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 92,822 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.42% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $132,588,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Baupost Group LLC MA lifted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 24.7% during the 4th quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 1,357,601 shares of the company's stock worth $446,108,000 after purchasing an additional 268,536 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 68,725 shares of the company's stock worth $22,583,000 after purchasing an additional 2,690 shares during the last quarter. Bollard Group LLC acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter worth approximately $258,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 133.3% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 182 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlTi Global Inc. lifted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. AlTi Global Inc. now owns 3,302 shares of the company's stock worth $1,088,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $363.00 to $354.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $283.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $384.00 to $380.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $347.00 to $300.00 in a report on Friday, May 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $350.00.

Insider Activity

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, insider Lucy Clarke purchased 1,896 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were bought at an average price 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. This trade represents a 9.11% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of WTW opened at $257.85 on Tuesday. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 52-week low of $240.61 and a 52-week high of $352.79. The business's fifty day moving average is $268.87 and its 200-day moving average is $296.94. 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 $24.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.03, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.43.

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, beating 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 company had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.13 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid 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 presently 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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