8,076 Shares in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Purchased by South Shore Capital Advisors

South Shore Capital Advisors bought a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 8,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,654,000. Willis Towers Watson Public accounts for approximately 1.9% of South Shore Capital Advisors’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,372,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,928,792,000 after purchasing an additional 103,784 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox increased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 184.1% during the 3rd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 3,632,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,254,740,000 after purchasing an additional 2,353,768 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,096,882 shares of the company’s stock worth $378,918,000 after purchasing an additional 58,607 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 984,832 shares of the company’s stock worth $340,180,000 after purchasing an additional 30,387 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 56.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 745,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $228,365,000 after purchasing an additional 269,794 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:WTW opened at $291.03 on Tuesday. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a one year low of $275.60 and a one year high of $352.79. The company has a 50 day moving average of $298.34 and a 200-day moving average of $317.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.21 and a quick ratio of 2.21. The stock has a market cap of $27.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.62.

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 the consensus estimate of $7.93 by $0.19. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.53% and a return on equity of 20.91%. The company had revenue of $2.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $8.13 EPS. Willis Towers Watson Public’s revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. 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 presently 23.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $351.00 to $366.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered 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. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $365.00 to $345.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Evercore raised their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $383.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $371.36.

Willis Towers Watson Public 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.