Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Takes Position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Louisiana State Employees Retirement System opened a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public, buying 4,800 shares valued at about $1.395 million in the first quarter.
• WTW reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $3.72 per share, slightly topping estimates, while revenue came in at $2.41 billion and rose 8.5% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.96 per share, and analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $350.00.

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position 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 SEC. The fund bought 4,800 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,395,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 375.0% during the fourth quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 76 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 72.5% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 88 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 93.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Up 4.1%

Shares of WTW stock opened at $286.22 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.69, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.43. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $261.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $291.63. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 1 year low of $240.61 and a 1 year high of $352.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 2.92 and a quick ratio of 2.92.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.41 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 16.84%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.13 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.39%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke acquired 1,896 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 22,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,982,976.29. The trade was a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $353.00 to $338.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $379.00 to $351.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $283.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $400.00 to $374.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $350.00.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

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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