Hartford Investment Management Co. Acquires Shares of 6,176 Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW)

Key Points

• Hartford Investment Management Co. has acquired a new stake of 6,176 shares in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company, valued at approximately $2,087,000, during the first quarter.
• Willis Towers Watson reported $2.86 earnings per share for the latest quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, and generated a revenue of $2.26 billion, slightly above the consensus estimate.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.92, translating to an annualized dividend of $3.68, with a high dividend payout ratio of 252.05%.

Hartford Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 6,176 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,087,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 750.0% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 85 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 122.9% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 107 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Willis Towers Watson Public

In related news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,600 shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.75, for a total transaction of $505,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,982 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,783,316.50. The trade was a 11.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.32% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WTW traded up $3.13 on Tuesday, reaching $323.80. The company's stock had a trading volume of 45,309 shares, compared to its average volume of 649,622. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 52-week low of $271.01 and a 52-week high of $344.14. The company has a market cap of $32.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 221.78, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $306.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $316.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 1.90.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.23 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.55 EPS. The business's revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.92 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Willis Towers Watson Public's payout ratio is currently 252.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on WTW shares. Barclays decreased 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 research report on Monday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $373.00 to $371.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $371.00 to $366.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $367.11.

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.