Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Position Trimmed by Atalan Capital Partners LP

Key Points

• Atalan Capital Partners reduced its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 34.8% in the fourth quarter, though WTW still represents about 7.9% of the fund’s portfolio.
• WTW reported solid first-quarter results, with EPS of $3.72 beating expectations and revenue of $2.41 billion matching estimates; revenue also rose 8.5% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.96 per share, payable July 15, while analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” with a consensus price target of $350.

Atalan Capital Partners LP cut its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 34.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 336,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 179,300 shares during the period. Willis Towers Watson Public comprises about 7.9% of Atalan Capital Partners LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Atalan Capital Partners LP owned approximately 0.35% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $110,410,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 375.0% during the fourth quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 76 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 72.5% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 88 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of WTW stock opened at $259.65 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.92, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.14, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 stock's 50-day moving average price is $268.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $296.51.

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

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on WTW. Citigroup upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $384.00 to $380.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $322.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $354.00 to $347.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $350.00.

Insider Activity at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 22,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. This represents a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

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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