FJ Capital Management LLC Buys 3,829 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• FJ Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Willis Towers Watson by 43.4%, acquiring an additional 3,829 shares to own a total of 12,658 shares valued at $4.28 million.
• In the latest earnings report, Willis Towers Watson exceeded analysts' expectations with $2.86 earnings per share and revenue of $2.26 billion, although revenue saw a 0.2% decline year-over-year.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.92 per share, representing a 1.1% dividend yield, yet its payout ratio is significantly high at 252.05%.

FJ Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 43.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,658 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,829 shares during the quarter. FJ Capital Management LLC's holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $4,278,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its holdings in 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 worth $682,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 35.6% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,208 shares of the company's stock valued at $408,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 124.2% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,941 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,670,000 after acquiring an additional 2,737 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 22.6% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 14,108 shares of the company's stock worth $4,768,000 after purchasing an additional 2,596 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 1st quarter worth approximately $406,000. 93.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WTW has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $355.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 18th. 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. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $316.00 to $305.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $362.92.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

WTW traded up $2.65 during trading on Thursday, hitting $329.84. The stock had a trading volume of 432,373 shares, compared to its average volume of 641,689. The firm has a market cap of $32.18 billion, a PE ratio of 225.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.71. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12 month low of $283.29 and a 12 month high of $344.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $318.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $317.48.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 1.40% and a return on equity of 21.60%. The business's quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.55 EPS. Analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be issued a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 252.05%.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company 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.