Townsquare Capital LLC Acquires 2,327 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW)

Key Points

• Townsquare Capital LLC increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson by 33.9%, acquiring an additional 2,327 shares for a total of 9,196 shares worth approximately $3.1 million.
• Willis Towers Watson reported earnings of $2.86 per share in its last quarterly results, exceeding expectations and showing a slight decline in annual revenue.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.92, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 1.1%, although it has a high dividend payout ratio of 252.05%.

Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 33.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,196 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,327 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC's holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $3,108,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 750.0% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 85 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the fourth 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 about $32,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 94.9% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 115 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WTW opened at $329.17 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $307.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $316.49. The stock has a market cap of $32.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 225.46, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12 month low of $274.00 and a 12 month high of $344.14.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $2.26 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.55 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio is presently 252.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $316.00 to $305.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $371.00 to $366.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $367.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.75, for a total value of $505,200.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 11,982 shares in the company, valued at $3,783,316.50. This represents a 11.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Willis Towers Watson Public 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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