Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Stock Position Raised by Dodge & Cox

Key Points

• Dodge & Cox increased its position in Willis Towers Watson by 184.1% in Q3 to 3,632,191 shares (about a 3.79% stake), worth roughly $1.255 billion.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $373.14, and several firms (Wells Fargo, UBS, Barclays) have recently raised ratings or targets.
• WTW beat quarterly estimates (EPS $8.12 vs. $7.93; revenue $2.94B vs. $2.87B) despite a 3.3% YoY revenue decline, and increased its quarterly dividend to $0.96 (annualized $3.84) for a 1.3% yield.

Dodge & Cox increased its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 184.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,632,191 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,353,768 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox owned about 3.79% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $1,254,740,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. boosted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 8,200.0% in the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 83 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the third quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the second quarter valued at $39,000. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WTW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $366.00 to $379.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $365.00 to $341.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $398.00 to $409.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $318.00 to $341.00 in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $373.14.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WTW opened at $289.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.21 and a quick ratio of 2.21. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a one year low of $275.60 and a one year high of $352.79. The business's 50-day moving average price is $310.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $322.77. The company has a market capitalization of $27.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.62.

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

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

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

About Willis Towers Watson Public

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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