Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Key Points

• Russell Investments trimmed its stake in Willis Towers Watson by 12.0% in Q3, selling 28,760 shares and leaving 211,465 shares worth about $73.0 million, while institutional investors own roughly 93.09% of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive with a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $371.50, and several firms (e.g., Truist, UBS) recently raised price targets.
• Willis Towers Watson raised its quarterly dividend to $0.96 (annualized $3.84) for a yield of about 1.3%, payable April 15 with an ex-dividend date of March 31.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 12.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 211,465 shares of the company's stock after selling 28,760 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.22% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $73,014,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 5.1% during the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 74,582 shares of the company's stock worth $25,453,000 after purchasing an additional 3,605 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 355.3% in the 3rd quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 9,474 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,273,000 after buying an additional 7,393 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 179,771 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,102,000 after buying an additional 12,575 shares during the last quarter. Korea Investment CORP raised its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 51.0% during the 3rd quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 53,089 shares of the company's stock worth $18,340,000 after acquiring an additional 17,922 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL raised its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 6,941 shares of the company's stock worth $2,398,000 after acquiring an additional 373 shares in the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WTW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $351.00 to $366.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Monday, December 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $365.00 to $345.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $398.00 to $409.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $371.50.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $289.26 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a current ratio of 2.21. The company has a market capitalization of $27.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.66, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.62. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 1 year low of $275.60 and a 1 year high of $352.79. The company's fifty day moving average is $313.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $323.59.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $8.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $7.93 by $0.19. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.53% and a return on equity of 20.91%. The business had revenue of $2.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $8.13 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. This is a boost from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.47%.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company 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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