PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab Invests $6.16 Million in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• PFA Pension bought a new stake of 18,470 shares in Willis Towers Watson valued at about $6.16 million in Q4, and overall institutional investors now own 93.09% of the stock.
• Willis Towers Watson reported $3.72 EPS, beating estimates with revenue up 8.5% year-over-year, and analysts forecast ~19.5 EPS for the year with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a $353 average target price.
• The stock trades near $260 (below its 50- and 200-day averages) and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.96 ($3.84 annualized, ~1.5% yield), reflecting a modest payout increase.

PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 18,470 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,161,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WTW. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company's stock worth $429,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company's stock worth $875,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the company's stock worth $811,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 14,806 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,538,000 after acquiring an additional 1,659 shares during the period. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WTW. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $363.00 to $354.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $354.00 to $347.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $409.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $283.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $353.00.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Up 1.4%

WTW opened at $260.02 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $291.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $311.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.16, a PEG ratio of 1.13 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 $246.60 and a one year high of $352.79.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $3.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.13 EPS. Analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.5 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 given a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is an increase from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.39%.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

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.

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.