National Pension Service Purchases 9,112 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 9,112 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 158,741 shares worth about $52.2 million.
• Institutional ownership remains dominant, with several large investors also adding to their positions and 93.09% of the stock currently held by institutions.
• Willis Towers Watson reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $3.72 per share and revenue of $2.41 billion, while also declaring a $0.96 quarterly dividend and receiving a consensus analyst rating of Moderate Buy.

National Pension Service boosted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 158,741 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,112 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.17% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $52,162,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTW. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 0.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,372,970 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,928,792,000 after purchasing an additional 103,784 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 184.1% during the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 3,632,191 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,254,740,000 after purchasing an additional 2,353,768 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 5.6% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,096,882 shares of the company's stock valued at $378,918,000 after purchasing an additional 58,607 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.2% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 984,832 shares of the company's stock valued at $340,180,000 after purchasing an additional 30,387 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 56.8% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 745,074 shares of the company's stock valued at $228,365,000 after purchasing an additional 269,794 shares in the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, insider Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the acquisition, the insider directly 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of WTW opened at $249.67 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.56, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.45. 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 Limited Company has a one year low of $240.61 and a one year high of $352.79. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $275.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $301.74.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 16.84%.Willis Towers Watson Public's 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 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 EPS 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, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public's payout ratio is presently 22.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $283.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $354.00 to $347.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $347.00 to $300.00 in a report on Friday, May 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $351.73.

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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