Short Interest in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) Drops By 25.2%

Key Points

• Short interest in Willis Towers Watson fell 25.2% in April to 2,069,787 shares (about 2.2% of the float) with a days-to-cover of 3.5.
• Analysts rate the stock a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a price target of $366.29, backed by 1 Strong Buy, 9 Buy and 6 Hold opinions from covering firms.
• The company beat quarterly EPS estimates ($8.12 vs. $7.93), reported revenue of $2.94B (down 3.3% YoY), and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.96 (annual $3.84, yield ~1.3%).

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 2,069,787 shares, a drop of 25.2% from the March 31st total of 2,766,650 shares. Currently, 2.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 598,812 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.5 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America reduced their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $354.00 to $347.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Evercore raised their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $383.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Mizuho reduced their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $358.00 to $353.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Citigroup raised their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $351.00 to $366.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $398.00 to $409.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $366.29.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WTW opened at $290.88 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $27.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.62. 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 has a 52 week low of $273.59 and a 52 week high of $352.79. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $292.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $312.12.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $8.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $7.93 by $0.19. The business 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 revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $8.13 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 19.51 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a $0.96 dividend. This is an increase from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. 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. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.44%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public during the first quarter valued at about $326,000. Stephens Inc. AR grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.5% during the first quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 1,821 shares of the company's stock valued at $529,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Praxis Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 34.3% during the first quarter. Praxis Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,661 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,064,000 after acquiring an additional 935 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.1% during the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,429 shares of the company's stock valued at $706,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.3% during the first quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,243 shares of the company's stock valued at $943,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company's stock.

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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