AQR Capital Management LLC Purchases 11,766 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Willis Towers Watson by 25.5% in Q1, acquiring a total of 57,982 shares valued at approximately $19.6 million.
• A majority of the company's stock, around 93.09%, is owned by institutional investors, with several firms like T. Rowe Price and Wellington Management also boosting their stakes.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.92, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 1.1%, with a payout ratio of 252.05%.

AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 25.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 57,982 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,766 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.06% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $19,593,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WTW. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 40,489.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,007,429 shares of the company's stock worth $340,461,000 after buying an additional 1,004,947 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 6,286.4% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 862,869 shares of the company's stock worth $270,284,000 after acquiring an additional 849,358 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 1st quarter worth approximately $195,043,000. Polen Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 237,953 shares during the period. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 6,618.7% during the first quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 126,781 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,846,000 after purchasing an additional 124,894 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 0.5%

NASDAQ WTW traded down $1.66 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $338.79. The stock had a trading volume of 417,870 shares, compared to its average volume of 451,398. The stock has a market cap of $33.05 billion, a PE ratio of 232.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.71. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 1 year low of $286.00 and a 1 year high of $344.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $321.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $317.63.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 business had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.60% and a net margin of 1.40%.The company's quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.55 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 252.05%.

Willis Towers Watson Public 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.