Cidel Asset Management Inc. Has $42.78 Million Stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Cidel Asset Management trimmed its stake in Willis Towers Watson by 4.1% to 130,190 shares worth about $42.78 million, making WTW its 5th-largest holding and ~3.0% of the fund's portfolio.
• Willis Towers Watson beat quarterly expectations with EPS $8.12 vs. $7.93 expected and revenue of $2.94 billion vs. $2.87 billion expected, though revenue was down 3.3% year-over-year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.96 (annualized $3.84) for a yield of about 1.3%, with an ex-dividend date of March 31 and payment on April 15.

Cidel Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 130,190 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,548 shares during the quarter. Willis Towers Watson Public makes up about 3.0% of Cidel Asset Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Cidel Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.14% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $42,780,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,372,970 shares of the company's stock worth $3,928,792,000 after acquiring an additional 103,784 shares during the last quarter. Dodge & Cox raised its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 184.1% in the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 3,632,191 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,254,740,000 after purchasing an additional 2,353,768 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 5.6% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,096,882 shares of the company's stock worth $378,918,000 after purchasing an additional 58,607 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.2% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 984,832 shares of the company's stock worth $340,180,000 after purchasing an additional 30,387 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 56.8% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 745,074 shares of the company's stock valued at $228,365,000 after purchasing an additional 269,794 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

Shares of WTW opened at $288.64 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $298.96 and a 200-day moving average of $318.26. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a one year low of $275.60 and a one year high of $352.79. The company has a market cap of $27.19 billion, a PE ratio of 17.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.21 and a quick ratio of 2.21.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $8.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $7.93 by $0.19. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.53% and a return on equity of 20.91%. The company had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $8.13 EPS. Willis Towers Watson Public's quarterly revenue was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $0.96 dividend. This is a positive change from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WTW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $392.00 to $358.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Evercore raised their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $383.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $365.00 to $341.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $398.00 to $409.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $373.14.

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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