Empowered Funds LLC Buys 3,616 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC increased its Willis Towers Watson stake by 71.2% in the first quarter, adding 3,616 shares to own 8,696 shares valued at approximately $2.53 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 93.09% of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $363.50; UBS and Goldman Sachs recently raised their targets.
• Willis Towers Watson reported quarterly EPS of $3.35, topping estimates of $3.12, while revenue rose 9.1% year over year to $2.47 billion. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.96, equivalent to a 1.1% annual yield.

Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 71.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,696 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,616 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $2,528,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WTW. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company's stock worth $429,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company's stock valued at $875,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position 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 buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 12.6% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 14,806 shares of the company's stock worth $4,538,000 after buying an additional 1,659 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.0% during the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 9,273 shares of the company's stock worth $2,842,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $382.00 to $405.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings lowered Willis Towers Watson Public from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $316.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $347.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $345.00 price objective (up from $300.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $363.50.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $338.07 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $280.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $286.86. The stock has a market cap of $31.40 billion, a PE ratio of 20.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12 month low of $240.61 and a 12 month high of $352.79.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.12 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.42 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 22.19% and a net margin of 15.49%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.86 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.8 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.62%.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source