Korea Investment CORP Buys 17,922 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Korea Investment CORP boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson by 51%, buying 17,922 shares to hold 53,089 shares valued at about $18.34 million (roughly 0.06% of the company).
• Willis Towers Watson beat quarterly expectations—EPS $8.12 vs. $7.93 and revenue $2.94B vs. $2.87B—and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.96 (annualized $3.84, ~1.3% yield).

Korea Investment CORP lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 51.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 53,089 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 17,922 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP owned 0.06% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $18,340,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WTW. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the third quarter valued at $25,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. boosted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 8,200.0% during the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 83 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. 93.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on WTW. Barclays increased their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $303.00 to $318.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $392.00 to $358.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Monday, December 29th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $365.00 to $341.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $365.00 to $345.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $371.50.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

Shares of WTW opened at $289.26 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.62. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 52 week low of $275.60 and a 52 week high of $352.79. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $313.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $323.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 2.21.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $8.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $7.93 by $0.19. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 20.91% and a net margin of 16.53%.The company had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $8.13 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. This is a positive change from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. Willis Towers Watson Public's payout ratio is presently 22.47%.

Willis Towers Watson Public Profile

Willis Towers Watson Public NASDAQ: WTW is a global advisory, broking and solutions company that helps organizations manage risk, optimize benefits and cultivate talent. The firm combines insurance brokerage and risk management capabilities with human capital and benefits consulting, actuarial and analytics services, and technology-enabled solutions. Willis Towers Watson serves a broad client base that includes multinational and mid-sized corporations, public sector organizations, insurers and investment managers.

The company's core activities encompass commercial and reinsurance brokerage, risk transfer and risk-financing advice, and claims advocacy, alongside employee benefits and retirement consulting.

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