Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Increases Stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank raised its stake in Willis Towers Watson by 16.6% in Q4 to 59,916 shares (about 0.06% of the company), adding 8,533 shares and valuing its holding at roughly $19.69 million.
• Several brokerages have trimmed price targets recently, but the stock maintains a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with an average target of $366.29 (rankings: 1 Strong Buy, 9 Buy, 6 Hold).
• Willis Towers Watson beat Q4 EPS and revenue estimates, has a market cap of $27.45 billion, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.96 (annualized $3.84, yield 1.3%).

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,916 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,533 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned about 0.06% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $19,688,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $218,000. First Horizon Corp raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 18.6% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 2,235 shares of the company's stock valued at $734,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $587,000. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 2,204 shares of the company's stock valued at $724,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 19.2% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 17,800 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,849,000 after purchasing an additional 2,863 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on WTW. 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 report on Thursday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $365.00 to $341.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $354.00 to $347.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $366.29.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WTW opened at $291.40 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.79, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.62. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12 month low of $273.59 and a 12 month high of $352.79. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $292.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $313.84. 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 (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $8.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $7.93 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.87 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.53% and a return on equity of 20.91%. The business's revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $8.13 EPS. Analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.5 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend 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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