Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Key Points

• Vanguard Group trimmed its stake in Willis Towers Watson by 1.4%, selling 155,061 shares and leaving it with 11,217,909 shares (about 11.72% of the company) valued at roughly $3.69 billion; institutional investors own about 93.09% of WTW.
• Earnings beat: WTW reported $8.12 EPS (vs. $7.93 expected) and $2.94 billion in revenue (vs. $2.87 billion expected) despite revenue declining 3.3% year-over-year, and analysts hold a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with a $366.29 price target.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.96 (annualized $3.84), representing a 1.3% yield and a payout ratio of 23.44%.

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,217,909 shares of the company's stock after selling 155,061 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 11.72% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $3,686,205,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTW. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company's stock worth $429,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company's stock worth $875,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the company's stock worth $811,000 after buying an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 12.6% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 14,806 shares of the company's stock worth $4,538,000 after purchasing an additional 1,659 shares during the period. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WTW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $351.00 to $366.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $388.00 to $384.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Evercore raised their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $383.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $366.29.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 0.6%

WTW stock opened at $289.34 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $27.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.66, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a 50 day moving average of $292.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $312.44. The company has a quick ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12-month low of $273.59 and a 12-month high of $352.79.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $8.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $7.93 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.87 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.53% and a return on equity of 20.91%. Willis Towers Watson Public's revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $8.13 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a $0.96 dividend. This is a boost from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Willis Towers Watson Public's payout ratio is 23.44%.

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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