Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Buys 13,371 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its ownership in Willis Towers Watson by 100.8%, acquiring an additional 13,371 shares in the second quarter, bringing its total holdings to 26,631 shares valued at approximately $8.16 million.
• Willis Towers Watson reported earnings of $2.86 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates and showing a 1.4% increase in earnings compared to the same quarter last year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.92 per share, with a dividend payout ratio of 252.05%, signaling strong commitment to returning value to shareholders despite a relatively high payout ratio.

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 100.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,631 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 13,371 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC's holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $8,162,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,018 shares of the company's stock valued at $682,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 10.1% during the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 392 shares of the company's stock valued at $120,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 1,405 shares of the company's stock worth $440,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.9% in the first quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,408 shares of the company's stock valued at $476,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WTW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $369.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $316.00 to $305.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $351.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $362.92.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

NASDAQ WTW traded down $0.41 during trading on Monday, hitting $336.30. 92,885 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 634,900. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12-month low of $286.35 and a 12-month high of $344.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $324.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $317.41. The company has a market capitalization of $32.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 230.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.71.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.21. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 1.40% and a return on equity of 21.60%. The firm had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.55 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, September 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 4.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio is 252.05%.

Willis Towers Watson Public Profile

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.