Ground Swell Capital LLC Buys Shares of 2,201 Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Ground Swell Capital LLC has acquired 2,201 shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company valued at approximately $675,000, making it the firm's 6th largest holding, representing 1.1% of their investment portfolio.
• Willis Towers Watson has seen various hedge funds increase their stakes, with 93.09% of the stock now owned by institutional investors, highlighting increasing institutional interest in the company.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.92 per share, and its Board also authorized a stock buyback plan allowing for the repurchase of up to $1.50 billion in shares.

Ground Swell Capital LLC acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $675,000. Willis Towers Watson Public makes up approximately 1.1% of Ground Swell Capital LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.8% in 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. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,408 shares of the company's stock worth $476,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. grew its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 718 shares of the company's stock worth $243,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on WTW shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $366.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $400.00 target price (up from $380.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $355.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $358.00 to $377.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $373.00 to $387.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $368.75.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of WTW opened at $349.93 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12-month low of $287.05 and a 12-month high of $352.79. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $332.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $318.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 239.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.73.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 1.40% and a return on equity of 21.60%. Willis Towers Watson Public's quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.55 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

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

Willis Towers Watson Public announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, September 18th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 4.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

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.

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