CI Investments Inc. Sells 37,441 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• CI Investments Inc. cut its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 62% in the first quarter, selling 37,441 shares and leaving it with 22,990 shares valued at about $6.68 million.
• The stock has drawn mixed but generally positive analyst attention, with several firms issuing buy-oriented ratings and a consensus Moderate Buy target price of $351.80.
• Willis Towers Watson reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $3.72 per share, while also paying a quarterly dividend of $0.96 per share, implying a 1.3% yield.

CI Investments Inc. reduced its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 62.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 22,990 shares of the company's stock after selling 37,441 shares during the period. CI Investments Inc.'s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $6,683,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AlTi Global Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. AlTi Global Inc. now owns 3,302 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,088,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 72.5% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 88 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,939 shares of the company's stock worth $966,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 744 shares of the company's stock valued at $244,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on WTW shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Truist Financial upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $322.00 to $303.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $380.00 to $381.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Two research 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. According to MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $351.80.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 0.6%

WTW stock opened at $288.37 on Friday. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12 month low of $240.61 and a 12 month high of $352.79. The company has a current ratio of 2.92, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.43. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $268.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $287.27.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.41 billion for 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%.Willis Towers Watson Public's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.13 EPS. As a group, equities research 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Willis Towers Watson Public's payout ratio is presently 22.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Towers Watson Public

In related news, insider Lucy Clarke acquired 1,896 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 22,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,982,976.29. The trade was a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

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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