Southpoint Capital Advisors LP Sells 150,000 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Southpoint Capital Advisors LP reduced its stake in Willis Towers Watson by 21.4%, selling 150,000 shares and now holding 550,000 shares, which constitutes about 4.4% of its total holdings.
• The company reported strong earnings with $2.86 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding analyst estimates, despite a slight 0.2% drop in year-over-year revenue.
• A quarterly dividend of $0.92 per share has been announced, representing a yield of 1.1% and a payout ratio of 252.05%.

Southpoint Capital Advisors LP trimmed its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 21.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 550,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 150,000 shares during the period. Willis Towers Watson Public comprises about 4.4% of Southpoint Capital Advisors LP's holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP owned about 0.55% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $185,872,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

NASDAQ WTW opened at $326.79 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market cap of $31.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 223.83, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50 day moving average of $316.71 and a 200-day moving average of $317.29. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 1-year low of $283.29 and a 1-year high of $344.14.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 1.40% and a return on equity of 21.60%. The company's revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.55 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be given a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 252.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on WTW. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $355.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $369.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Barclays lowered their price target 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. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $351.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $362.92.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company 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.

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