Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. Trims Holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW)

Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 5.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 73,322 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,166 shares during the quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $24,779,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 1,405 shares of the company's stock valued at $440,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,408 shares of the company's stock valued at $476,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 718 shares of the company's stock worth $243,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,197 shares of the company's stock valued at $375,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

WTW traded up $4.38 on Friday, reaching $313.11. The stock had a trading volume of 445,664 shares, compared to its average volume of 718,190. The business's 50-day moving average price is $306.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $316.49. The company has a market cap of $31.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -626.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.68. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12-month low of $271.01 and a 12-month high of $344.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.27 by ($0.14). Willis Towers Watson Public had a negative net margin of 0.54% and a positive return on equity of 20.53%. The business had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.29 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.13 EPS. Willis Towers Watson Public's revenue for the quarter was down 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.18%. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio is currently -736.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WTW shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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 note on Thursday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $373.00 to $371.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Barclays decreased their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $316.00 to $305.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $371.00 to $366.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $367.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.75, for a total value of $505,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 11,982 shares in the company, valued at $3,783,316.50. This trade represents a 11.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.32% of the company's stock.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

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.