Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Has $12.45 Million Holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co raised its stake in Willis Towers Watson by 19.9%, buying 6,300 shares to hold 37,900 shares worth about $12.45 million per its latest 13F filing.
• Analysts have trimmed several target prices but the consensus remains a Moderate Buy with an average target of $353, reflecting mixed ratings across brokers.
• Willis Towers Watson beat Q1 EPS estimates ($3.72 vs. $3.65), posted 8.5% revenue growth year-over-year, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.96 (annualized $3.84, ~1.5% yield).

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co raised its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 19.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,900 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 6,300 shares during the quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co's holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $12,454,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WTW. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company's stock worth $429,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company's stock worth $875,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the company's stock valued at $811,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake 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 valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 12.6% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 14,806 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,538,000 after purchasing an additional 1,659 shares in the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on WTW. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $283.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $363.00 to $354.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings lowered Willis Towers Watson Public from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday. Mizuho cut their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $358.00 to $353.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and cut their target price for the company from $347.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $353.00.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WTW opened at $260.02 on Tuesday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $291.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $311.18. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a fifty-two week low of $246.60 and a fifty-two week high of $352.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 2.92 and a quick ratio of 2.92.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.13 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.5 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. This is a positive change from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.39%.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

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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