Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Position Reduced by Savant Capital LLC

Key Points

• Savant Capital LLC cut its Willis Towers Watson Public stake by 81% in the fourth quarter, selling 10,490 shares and leaving it with 2,460 shares worth about $809,000.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but generally constructive: the stock carries a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $351.73, though several firms recently lowered their targets.
• Willis Towers Watson reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings of $3.72 per share and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.96, equal to a 1.5% annualized yield.

Savant Capital LLC decreased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 81.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,460 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,490 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC's holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $809,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 0.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,372,970 shares of the company's stock worth $3,928,792,000 after purchasing an additional 103,784 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 184.1% during the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 3,632,191 shares of the company's stock worth $1,254,740,000 after purchasing an additional 2,353,768 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 5.6% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,096,882 shares of the company's stock worth $378,918,000 after purchasing an additional 58,607 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.2% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 984,832 shares of the company's stock worth $340,180,000 after purchasing an additional 30,387 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 56.8% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 745,074 shares of the company's stock worth $228,365,000 after purchasing an additional 269,794 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on WTW. Barclays dropped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $379.00 to $351.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Willis Towers Watson Public from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $351.73.

Insider Transactions at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, insider Lucy Clarke acquired 1,896 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 0.2%

Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $256.41 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $24.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.43. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12 month low of $240.61 and a 12 month high of $352.79. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $274.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $301.14. The company has a quick ratio of 2.92, a current ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.41 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.52%. Willis Towers Watson Public's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.13 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

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

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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