Swedbank AB Has $4.64 Million Position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Swedbank AB reduced its WTW stake by 28.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 5,676 shares and leaving it with 14,124 shares valued at about $4.64 million.
• Willis Towers Watson posted solid quarterly results, reporting EPS of $3.72 versus analyst expectations of $3.65, with revenue of $2.41 billion and 8.5% year-over-year revenue growth.
• The company continues to reward shareholders and attract analyst attention, announcing a $0.96 quarterly dividend and seeing multiple rating changes, with Wall Street’s consensus still at a “Moderate Buy” and a $351.73 price target.

Swedbank AB cut its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 28.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,124 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,676 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB's holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $4,641,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 945.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 57,641 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,941,000 after purchasing an additional 52,125 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 179,771 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,102,000 after purchasing an additional 12,575 shares during the last quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 25.4% during the 3rd quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 23,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,277,000 after purchasing an additional 4,859 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 196,833 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,996,000 after purchasing an additional 3,454 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 679,513 shares of the company's stock valued at $234,738,000 after purchasing an additional 19,515 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 0.4%

WTW opened at $256.35 on Wednesday. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a fifty-two week low of $240.61 and a fifty-two week high of $352.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 2.92 and a quick ratio of 2.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.95, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.45. The company's 50 day moving average price is $277.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $303.11.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.07. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.52%. The firm had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.13 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public's payout ratio is presently 22.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, insider Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 22,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,982,976.29. The trade was a 9.11% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WTW has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $363.00 to $354.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of 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. Evercore lifted their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $383.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $351.73.

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.

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