LPL Financial LLC lowered its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 8.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,861 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,090 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC's holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $8,064,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTW. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 77.5% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,788,542 shares of the company's stock valued at $873,483,000 after purchasing an additional 1,217,714 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 40,489.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,007,429 shares of the company's stock valued at $340,461,000 after buying an additional 1,004,947 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 6,286.4% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 862,869 shares of the company's stock valued at $270,284,000 after buying an additional 849,358 shares during the last quarter. Atalan Capital Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 90.0% during the 4th quarter. Atalan Capital Partners LP now owns 475,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $148,789,000 after buying an additional 225,000 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,216,487 shares of the company's stock worth $381,052,000 after buying an additional 152,128 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of analysts recently commented on WTW shares. Citigroup assumed coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Wednesday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $351.00 price objective for the company. 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 for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $355.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price 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, Barclays decreased 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $364.55.
Get Our Latest Analysis on WTW
Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Towers Watson Public
In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,600 shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was 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 owned 11,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,783,316.50. This trade represents a 11.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 1.1%
Shares of NASDAQ WTW traded down $3.83 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $330.86. 555,104 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 656,951. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12 month low of $279.08 and a 12 month high of $344.14. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $308.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $316.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company has a market cap of $32.27 billion, a PE ratio of 226.75, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.67.
Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 1.40% and a return on equity of 21.60%. The business's quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.55 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 EPS for the current year.
Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend 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%.
Willis Towers Watson Public Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading

Before you consider Willis Towers Watson Public, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Willis Towers Watson Public wasn't on the list.
While Willis Towers Watson Public currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Enter your email address and we'll send you MarketBeat's list of seven stocks and why their long-term outlooks are very promising.
Get This Free Report