Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Shares Bought by Parnassus Investments LLC

Parnassus Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 357,537 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,163 shares during the period. Parnassus Investments LLC owned approximately 0.37% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $117,487,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 0.9% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Dodge & Cox grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 184.1% in the 3rd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 3,632,191 shares of the company's stock worth $1,254,740,000 after acquiring an additional 2,353,768 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter worth approximately $511,151,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,096,882 shares of the company's stock valued at $378,918,000 after purchasing an additional 58,607 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 984,832 shares of the company's stock valued at $340,180,000 after purchasing an additional 30,387 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the purchase, the insider owned 22,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,982,976.29. This trade represents a 9.11% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on WTW shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $379.00 to $351.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective 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, May 1st. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $354.00 to $347.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Two 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $350.00.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WTW opened at $260.79 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $269.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $297.77. The stock has a market cap of $24.63 billion, a PE ratio of 15.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a current ratio of 2.92. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a one year low of $240.61 and a one year high of $352.79.

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

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Willis Towers Watson Public's payout ratio is presently 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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