Strs Ohio Takes $2.07 Million Position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Strs Ohio has acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson, investing approximately $2.07 million in 6,111 shares during the first quarter.
• A variety of institutional investors have also increased their holdings, with T. Rowe Price and Wellington Management making significant increases in their stakes.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.92 per share, with the ex-dividend date set for September 30, reflecting an annualized yield of 1.1%.

Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 6,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,065,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased 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 valued at $429,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 29.4% in the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,972 shares of the company's stock valued at $621,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,868 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,091,000 after acquiring an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter worth about $1,040,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 34.5% during the 4th quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 5,728 shares of the company's stock worth $1,794,000 after purchasing an additional 1,469 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:WTW traded up $5.01 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $336.71. The company had a trading volume of 1,309,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 457,743. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $324.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $317.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 230.62, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.71. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a one year low of $286.00 and a one year high of $344.14.

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

Willis Towers Watson Public announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, September 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 4.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.92 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Willis Towers Watson Public's payout ratio is presently 252.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on WTW shares. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $355.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 18th. 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 on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Willis Towers Watson Public to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $362.92.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

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.