Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 12% in the fourth quarter, adding 70,188 shares to hold 654,012 shares worth about $214.9 million.
• Willis Towers Watson reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $3.72 per share, slightly beating estimates, while revenue came in at $2.41 billion and rose 8.5% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.96 per share, and analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” with an average target price of $351.73.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 12.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 654,012 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 70,188 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned about 0.68% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $214,908,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 0.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,372,970 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,928,792,000 after purchasing an additional 103,784 shares during the last quarter. Dodge & Cox increased its stake in 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. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the fourth quarter valued at $511,151,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 5.6% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,096,882 shares of the company's stock valued at $378,918,000 after purchasing an additional 58,607 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.2% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 984,832 shares of the company's stock valued at $340,180,000 after purchasing an additional 30,387 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $263.54 on Friday. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 52-week low of $240.61 and a 52-week high of $352.79. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $272.09 and a 200-day moving average of $299.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.37, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 2.92, a current ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.07. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.52%. The company had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.13 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.39%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at $5,982,976.29. This represents a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WTW has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $379.00 to $351.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho dropped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $353.00 to $338.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $347.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $351.73.

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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