Raymond James Financial Inc. Trims Position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Raymond James Financial Inc. has reduced its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company by 9.0%, now holding 120,783 shares worth approximately $40.8 million after selling 11,892 shares in the first quarter.
• Insider trading activity includes CFO Andrew Jay Krasner selling 1,600 shares at an average price of $315.75, which reduces his ownership by 11.78%.
• Analysts have varied price targets for Willis Towers Watson, with Morgan Stanley raising its target from $335 to $345, while Wells Fargo lowered theirs from $387 to $369, reflecting differing outlooks on the stock's performance.

Raymond James Financial Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 9.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 120,783 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,892 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $40,819,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 750.0% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 85 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 94.9% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 115 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.75, for a total value of $505,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 11,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,783,316.50. The trade was a 11.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WTW shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of 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. Barclays cut their target price 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. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $355.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $351.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $362.92.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 0.9%

Willis Towers Watson Public stock traded down $2.91 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $327.17. The company had a trading volume of 100,992 shares, compared to its average volume of 643,824. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12-month low of $283.29 and a 12-month high of $344.14. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $315.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $317.22. The firm has a market cap of $31.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 224.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.67.

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

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.