Swedbank AB Sells 5,676 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Swedbank AB reduced its stake in Willis Towers Watson by 28.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 5,676 shares and leaving it with 14,124 shares valued at about $4.64 million.
• WTW reported solid quarterly results, posting EPS of $3.72 to beat estimates and revenue of $2.41 billion, up 8.5% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.96 per share from $0.92.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with recent rating changes including a Citigroup upgrade to Buy and a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating. The average price target stands at $352, above the stock’s recent trading price of $256.36.

Swedbank AB decreased its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 28.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F 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 period. Swedbank AB's holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $4,641,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 375.0% in the 4th quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 76 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Willis Towers Watson Public

In related news, insider Lucy Clarke purchased 1,896 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 22,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. This trade represents a 9.11% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

Shares of WTW opened at $256.36 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $289.42 and a 200 day moving average of $309.58. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a one year low of $246.60 and a one year 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 P/E ratio of 14.95, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.45.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.07. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 16.84%.The business had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.13 earnings per share. Willis Towers Watson Public's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.5 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.96 per share. This is a boost from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on WTW shares. Citigroup raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $379.00 to $351.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $354.00 to $347.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wall Street Zen raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $283.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $352.00.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company 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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