J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Takes $295,000 Position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson, purchasing 962 shares valued at approximately $295,000 in Q2.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.92 per share, with a payout ratio of 252.05%, signaling a strong commitment to return capital to shareholders.
• Willis Towers Watson's stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with an average price target of $367.09.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 962 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $295,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $682,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 10.1% in the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 392 shares of the company's stock worth $120,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings 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 worth $47,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,408 shares of the company's stock valued at $476,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. increased its stake 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 valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

Shares of WTW stock opened at $347.14 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 1.90. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 52 week low of $286.35 and a 52 week high of $350.42. The company's 50 day moving average price is $331.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $318.40. The company has a market capitalization of $33.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 237.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.73.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.23 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 1.40% and a return on equity of 21.60%. The firm's revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.55 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be given 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 252.05%.

Willis Towers Watson Public declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, September 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 4.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup began coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $351.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $400.00 target price (up previously from $380.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $366.00 to $372.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $367.09.

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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