Pacer Advisors Inc. Cuts Holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW)

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in Willis Towers Watson by 26.3%, selling 3,634 shares and holding 10,177 shares worth $3,439,000 as of the latest SEC filing.
• The company's stock experienced a 2.3% decrease, trading at $302.30, with a market capitalization of approximately $29.97 billion.
• Willis Towers Watson announced a quarterly dividend of $0.92 per share, reflecting an annual yield of 1.22% despite a significant negative dividend payout ratio of -736.00%.

Pacer Advisors Inc. reduced its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 26.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,177 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,634 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $3,439,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WTW. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 54.5% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 25,951 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,129,000 after acquiring an additional 9,150 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 25.1% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 234,321 shares of the company's stock valued at $73,399,000 after acquiring an additional 47,054 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 35,555 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,137,000 after acquiring an additional 4,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 21.2% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 81,835 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,634,000 after acquiring an additional 14,299 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock traded down $3.37 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $312.44. The company had a trading volume of 334,795 shares, compared to its average volume of 649,249. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 1.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.98 billion, a P/E ratio of -625.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a 50 day moving average of $305.99 and a 200 day moving average of $316.31. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 52-week low of $271.01 and a 52-week high of $344.14.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $2.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.23 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a positive return on equity of 20.53% and a negative net margin of 0.54%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.55 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -736.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.75, for a total transaction of $505,200.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,783,316.50. This trade represents a 11.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.32% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WTW. Barclays lowered their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $316.00 to $305.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $369.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $373.00 to $371.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $371.00 to $366.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $367.11.

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.