Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Sells 68,018 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs Group Inc. reduced its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 15.8%, owning approximately 0.37% of the company post-sale, valued at $122.6 million.
• Several institutional investors recently adjusted their holdings, with 93.09% of the company owned by hedge funds and institutional investors.
• Willis Towers Watson recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.92 per share, translating to an annualized yield of 1.1% and a payout ratio of 252.05%.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. trimmed its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 15.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 362,762 shares of the company's stock after selling 68,018 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned about 0.37% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $122,595,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.8% during the first quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,018 shares of the company's stock valued at $682,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 35.6% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,208 shares of the company's stock worth $408,000 after buying an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 2,737 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,596 shares during the period. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 1st quarter worth about $406,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $351.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Barclays reduced their price objective on 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. Wolfe Research raised shares of Willis Towers Watson Public to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $369.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $362.92.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock traded up $3.43 on Wednesday, hitting $334.15. The stock had a trading volume of 45,046 shares, compared to its average volume of 632,572. The stock has a market cap of $32.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 228.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a twelve month low of $286.00 and a twelve month high of $344.14. The business's 50 day moving average is $322.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $317.56.

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

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

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