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

Key Points

• The National Pension Service raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson by 0.6%, increasing its shares to 144,305 worth approximately $48.8 million.
• Willis Towers Watson's latest earnings report showed an EPS of $2.86, exceeding estimates, although revenue declined 0.2% year-over-year.
• Wall Street analysts rate the stock as a Moderate Buy, with target prices ranging from $305 to $371, influenced by various recent market adjustments.

National Pension Service lifted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 0.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 144,305 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 818 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned 0.15% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $48,768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.8% during the first quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,018 shares of the company's stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 35.6% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,208 shares of the company's stock worth $408,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 124.2% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,941 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,670,000 after buying an additional 2,737 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the first quarter worth approximately $406,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 22.6% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 14,108 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,768,000 after acquiring an additional 2,596 shares during the period. 93.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WTW has been the subject of a number of research reports. 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 report on Monday, April 28th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $351.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $316.00 to $305.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $369.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $362.92.

Insider Transactions at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.75, for a total value of $505,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,982 shares in the company, valued at $3,783,316.50. The trade was a 11.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.32% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 0.7%

WTW traded up $2.15 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $331.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 93,393 shares, compared to its average volume of 653,785. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock's 50-day moving average is $309.81 and its 200-day moving average is $316.60. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 1 year low of $280.37 and a 1 year high of $344.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 227.22, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.67.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.21. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.60% and a net margin of 1.40%.The firm had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.55 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 EPS for the current year.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

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.