Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Shares Sold by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 44.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,604 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,116 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $856,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 375.0% in the fourth quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 76 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% in 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 last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WTW has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $322.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Truist Financial raised shares of Willis Towers Watson Public to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $384.00 to $380.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $351.73.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 3.7%

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $242.12 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 2.92 and a quick ratio of 2.92. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 1-year low of $240.63 and a 1-year high of $352.79. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $285.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $307.28. The company has a market capitalization of $22.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.12, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.45.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.5 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. 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 22.39%.

Insider Activity at Willis Towers Watson Public

In related news, insider Lucy Clarke purchased 1,896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider owned 22,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,982,976.29. This represents a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Willis Towers Watson Public

Here are the key news stories impacting Willis Towers Watson Public this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $380 price target, signaling continued analyst confidence in Willis Towers Watson’s long-term prospects.
• Positive Sentiment: WTW’s Willis unit launched a new integrated carbon capture and storage insurance solution, which could support growth by expanding the company’s specialty risk offerings into an emerging market. Willis launches integrated risk and insurance solution for carbon capture
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts also continue to view the stock favorably overall, with coverage indicating a “moderate buy” consensus.
• Negative Sentiment: Two shareholder law firms, Schall Law Firm and Pomerantz LLP, announced investigations into possible securities-law violations and alleged misleading statements by the company, which can raise concerns about legal risk and possible distraction/costs. WTW Investors Have Opportunity to Join Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company Fraud Investigation with the Schall Law Firm
• Negative Sentiment: WTW also faced a modest price-target cut from KBW, which may add to investor caution even though the firm kept its bullish rating.

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.