Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Increases Stock Position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management sharply increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 945% in the fourth quarter, and institutional ownership remains very high at 93.09%.
• WTW shares were down about 1% and recently traded at $254.20, well below the stock’s 52-week high of $352.79, even though the company still shows a solid balance sheet and a modest valuation.
• The company beat earnings estimates in its latest quarter, reporting $3.72 EPS versus $3.65 expected, and also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.96 from $0.92.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 945.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 57,641 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 52,125 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned about 0.06% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $18,941,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.5% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 179,771 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,102,000 after purchasing an additional 12,575 shares in the last quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 25.4% during the third quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 23,959 shares of the company's stock worth $8,277,000 after acquiring an additional 4,859 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.0% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 679,513 shares of the company's stock worth $234,738,000 after acquiring an additional 19,515 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.8% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 196,833 shares of the company's stock worth $67,996,000 after acquiring an additional 3,454 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dodge & Cox raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 184.1% during the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 3,632,191 shares of the company's stock worth $1,254,740,000 after acquiring an additional 2,353,768 shares in the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $254.20 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a current ratio of 2.92. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 52-week low of $240.61 and a 52-week high of $352.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.45. The company's 50 day moving average price is $281.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $305.27.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.07. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.52%. The firm had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.13 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.52 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a $0.96 dividend. This is a positive change from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.39%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 22,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. This trade represents a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on WTW. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $354.00 to $347.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Citigroup raised shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $384.00 to $380.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $351.73.

Key Stories Impacting Willis Towers Watson Public

Here are the key news stories impacting Willis Towers Watson Public this week:

• Positive Sentiment: At its Q1 earnings call, WTW highlighted margin improvement, suggesting the company is continuing to improve profitability even as growth becomes harder to come by. Willis Towers Watson Balances Margin Gains With Growth Headwinds
• Positive Sentiment: WTW also announced new Corporate Risk & Broking North America leadership appointments, which may support execution and growth initiatives in a key business segment. Willis announces Corporate Risk & Broking North America growth leadership appointments
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s latest survey found employers are rapidly planning to adopt AI in health and benefits, which could reinforce WTW’s relevance in advisory and benefits services, but the report also noted execution and governance gaps. Employers set to rapidly expand AI use in health and benefits, but execution gaps remain, WTW survey finds
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP opened an investor investigation into claims on behalf of WTW shareholders, adding legal uncertainty that can weigh on the stock. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Willis Towers Watson plc - WTW
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research lowered some near-term earnings estimates for WTW, signaling softer expectations for growth in parts of the business. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company analyst estimates

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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