Royal Bank of Canada Sells 89,250 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada cut its Willis Towers Watson stake by 53.9%, selling 89,250 shares and retaining 76,235 shares valued at approximately $22.2 million. Institutional investors overall own 93.09% of WTW.
• Willis Towers Watson reported quarterly EPS of $3.35, beating estimates of $3.12, while revenue rose 9.1% year over year to $2.47 billion. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.96, equivalent to a 1.1% yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with the stock carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $363.50, despite mixed individual target revisions.

Royal Bank of Canada decreased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 53.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 76,235 shares of the company's stock after selling 89,250 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada owned about 0.08% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $22,162,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dodge & Cox increased its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 90.7% in the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 6,925,525 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,275,728,000 after acquiring an additional 3,293,334 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 23.4% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,505,195 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,151,808,000 after acquiring an additional 664,202 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,212,870 shares of the company's stock worth $727,149,000 after purchasing an additional 57,162 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter valued at $511,151,000. Finally, Baupost Group LLC MA grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 24.7% in the fourth quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 1,357,601 shares of the company's stock worth $446,108,000 after purchasing an additional 268,536 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 0.5%

Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $338.07 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.79, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $280.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $286.86. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a twelve month low of $240.61 and a twelve month high of $352.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.12 by $0.23. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 22.19% and a net margin of 15.49%.The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.86 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public's payout ratio is currently 23.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on WTW. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $378.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $316.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $344.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $322.00 to $303.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $347.00 to $300.00 in a report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $363.50.

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.

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.

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