Baupost Group LLC MA Trims Stock Holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Baupost Group LLC MA reduced its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9%, selling 311,081 shares, which leaves them with approximately $515.6 million in value, making it their largest holding.
• Institutional investors hold 93.09% of the company's stock, indicating strong interest from major financial entities, with recent activity including purchases and increases in stake by multiple hedge funds.
• Wall Street analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Willis Towers Watson, with a target price average of $362.92, suggesting a positive outlook despite mixed performance metrics.

Baupost Group LLC MA lowered its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 16.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,525,667 shares of the company's stock after selling 311,081 shares during the period. Willis Towers Watson Public accounts for approximately 14.7% of Baupost Group LLC MA's investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Baupost Group LLC MA owned approximately 1.54% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $515,599,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WTW. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 40,489.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,007,429 shares of the company's stock worth $340,461,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004,947 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 6,286.4% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 862,869 shares of the company's stock worth $270,284,000 after purchasing an additional 849,358 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 1st quarter worth $195,043,000. Polen Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 185.1% in the 1st quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 366,539 shares of the company's stock valued at $123,872,000 after acquiring an additional 237,953 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atalan Capital Partners LP raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 90.0% in the 4th quarter. Atalan Capital Partners LP now owns 475,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $148,789,000 after acquiring an additional 225,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WTW shares. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $355.00 price objective for the company. Barclays dropped their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $316.00 to $305.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Citigroup started coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $351.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $369.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $362.92.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,600 shares of the business's 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 owned 11,982 shares in the company, valued at $3,783,316.50. The trade was a 11.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock traded down $3.92 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $330.07. 463,268 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 648,424. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 1.90. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 1-year low of $283.29 and a 1-year high of $344.14. The company has a market cap of $32.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.59, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.67. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $315.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $317.22.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.23 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.60% and a net margin of 1.40%.Willis Towers Watson Public's revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.55 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company Profile

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.