iA Global Asset Management Inc. Purchases Shares of 972 Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW)

Key Points

• iA Global Asset Management Inc. purchased 972 shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company, totaling approximately $328,000, indicating strong institutional interest in the company.
• Analysts provide a mixed outlook for Willis Towers Watson, with price targets set between $305.00 to $371.00, reflecting various expectations on stock performance.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.92 per share, yielding 1.1%, but has a high dividend payout ratio of 252.05%, raising concerns about sustainability.

iA Global Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 972 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $328,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the first quarter worth $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 750.0% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 85 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 94.9% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 115 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.75, for a total value of $505,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 11,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,783,316.50. This represents a 11.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Up 0.8%

WTW stock traded up $2.65 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $327.85. 829,659 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 741,886. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 52-week low of $273.70 and a 52-week high of $344.14. The company has a market cap of $31.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 224.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.67. The stock's fifty day moving average is $307.30 and its 200-day moving average is $316.46.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.55 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WTW shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $373.00 to $371.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Barclays reduced their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $369.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $371.00 to $366.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.