Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Shares Sold by Acadian Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Acadian Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in Willis Towers Watson by 55% during Q1, now owning 55,026 shares worth approximately $18.6 million.
• The company reported an EPS of $2.86 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations by $0.21, along with a revenue of $2.26 billion.
• Willis Towers Watson announced a quarterly dividend of $0.92, with an annualized yield of 1.1%, despite having a payout ratio of 252.05%.

Acadian Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 55.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 55,026 shares of the company's stock after selling 67,384 shares during the quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC owned 0.06% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $18,588,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTW. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,018 shares of the company's stock valued at $682,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 1,405 shares of the company's stock worth $440,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,408 shares of the company's stock valued at $476,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 718 shares of the company's stock valued at $243,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

WTW traded up $2.02 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $332.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 76,031 shares, compared to its average volume of 632,772. The company has a market cap of $32.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 228.26, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $322.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $317.56. 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 quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.21. The firm 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%.The business's revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.55 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

About Willis Towers Watson Public

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.