Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 4,840 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 4.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 114,343 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,840 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.12% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $39,500,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 43.5% in the 3rd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,743 shares of the company’s stock worth $602,000 after purchasing an additional 528 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 108.7% during the 3rd quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 1,895 shares of the company’s stock worth $655,000 after acquiring an additional 987 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 149,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,689,000 after purchasing an additional 4,166 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 0.6% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 29,223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,095,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 12.3% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 69,420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,981,000 after purchasing an additional 7,600 shares during the period. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

Shares of WTW stock opened at $327.32 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $326.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $327.44. The stock has a market cap of $31.34 billion, a PE ratio of 19.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 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 Limited Company has a 12 month low of $292.97 and a 12 month high of $352.79.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $8.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period last year, the company posted $8.13 EPS. Willis Towers Watson Public’s revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. Willis Towers Watson Public’s payout ratio is currently 22.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WTW shares. Evercore ISI increased their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $366.00 to $379.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $303.00 to $318.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $408.00 to $391.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $372.71.

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.