Natixis Advisors LLC Purchases 8,668 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson by 5.6%, owning over $55 million worth of 163,797 shares as of the latest SEC filing.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds hold 93.09% of Willis Towers Watson's stock, showcasing strong institutional interest in the company.
• The company has a current dividend yield of 1.22% following a quarterly payment of $0.92 per share, despite having a high dividend payout ratio of -736.00%.

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 5.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 163,797 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,668 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.17% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $55,355,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 750.0% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 85 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 122.9% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 107 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,600 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,982 shares in the company, valued at $3,783,316.50. This represents 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 through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.32% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on WTW. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $369.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $373.00 to $371.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays lowered their price objective on 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $371.00 to $366.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $367.11.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WTW traded down $1.04 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $314.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 928,150 shares, compared to its average volume of 665,068. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a fifty-two week low of $271.01 and a fifty-two week high of $344.14. The company has a market capitalization of $31.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 215.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.89. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $306.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $316.32.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.55 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio is presently -736.00%.

Willis Towers Watson Public Profile

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.