Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) to Issue Dividend Increase – $0.96 Per Share

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of 0.96 per share on Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This is a 4.3% increase from Willis Towers Watson Public’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92.

Willis Towers Watson Public has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 8 years. Willis Towers Watson Public has a dividend payout ratio of 19.4% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Willis Towers Watson Public to earn $19.50 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.68 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 18.9%.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 2.2%

WTW traded up $6.63 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $303.47. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 146,140 shares, compared to its average volume of 879,149. Willis Towers Watson Public has a 1 year low of $275.60 and a 1 year high of $352.79. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $318.74 and its 200-day moving average is $325.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.57, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $8.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.93 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $8.13 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public will post 17.32 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company’s stock valued at $429,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $875,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $811,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 76.4% during the second quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 2,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $733,000 after buying an additional 1,036 shares during the period. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.