Lucy Clarke Acquires 1,896 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) Stock

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) insider Lucy Clarke acquired 1,896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at $5,982,976.29. This represents a 9.11% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

WTW traded down $7.06 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $252.41. 1,273,138 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 775,267. The company’s 50-day moving average is $290.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $310.62. The company has a market cap of $23.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 2.92, a current ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12-month low of $246.60 and a 12-month high of $352.79.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.07. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 16.84%.The business had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.13 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This is an increase from Willis Towers Watson Public’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. Willis Towers Watson Public’s payout ratio is 22.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on WTW shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered Willis Towers Watson Public from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $363.00 to $354.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $409.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Evercore lifted their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $383.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $352.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 375.0% in the 4th quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 76 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 72.5% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 88 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.