National Pension Service Increases Stock Holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its WTW stake by 15.4% in the second quarter, owning 170,881 shares valued at approximately $44.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 93.09% of the company.
• WTW reported quarterly earnings of $3.35 per share, exceeding the $3.12 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $2.47 billion, up 9.1% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.96 per share, equivalent to an annualized $3.84 payout and a 1.2% yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $369.38.

National Pension Service grew its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 15.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 170,881 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 22,767 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.18% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $44,663,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 25,756.8% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 39,656,625 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,365,052,000 after buying an additional 39,503,255 shares during the last quarter. Dodge & Cox lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 90.7% in the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 6,925,525 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,275,728,000 after acquiring an additional 3,293,334 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 23.4% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,505,195 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,151,808,000 after acquiring an additional 664,202 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,212,870 shares of the company's stock valued at $727,149,000 after acquiring an additional 57,162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the fourth quarter valued at $511,151,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Up 0.1%

NASDAQ WTW opened at $315.61 on Friday. The firm's fifty day moving average is $321.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $291.63. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a one year low of $240.61 and a one year high of $352.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 1.68. The firm has a market cap of $29.31 billion, a PE ratio of 19.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.41.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $3.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.12 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.42 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 22.19%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.86 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $345.00 price objective (up from $300.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $381.00 to $394.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Mizuho raised their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $338.00 to $361.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays cut their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $322.00 to $303.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $283.00 to $317.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $369.38.

Willis Towers Watson Public Profile

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company NASDAQ: WTW is a global advisory, insurance brokerage and solutions firm serving organizations, institutions and individuals. The company helps clients manage risk, optimize benefits and support workforce performance through a combination of consulting expertise, data, analytics and technology.

WTW's businesses include risk and insurance brokerage, corporate risk management, actuarial and insurance consulting, retirement and investment consulting, and health and benefits advisory services.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WTW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.