Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Holdings Trimmed by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Securian Asset Management Inc. cut its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 44.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. 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 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 375.0% during the fourth quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 76 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased 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 valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Willis Towers Watson Public News Roundup

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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, insider Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at $5,982,976.29. The trade was a 9.11% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WTW shares. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $353.00 to $338.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Truist Financial raised Willis Towers Watson Public to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $351.73.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WTW opened at $242.12 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $285.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $307.28. The company has a market cap of $22.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.45. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12-month low of $240.63 and a 12-month high of $352.79. 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 (NASDAQ:WTW) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 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 business had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.13 earnings per share. Willis Towers Watson Public’s revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This is a boost from Willis Towers Watson Public’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio is 22.39%.

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.