Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW – Get Rating) by 166.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,733 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,332 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $913,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WTW. Covington Capital Management purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Accurate Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. WJ Interests LLC purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. General Partner Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter worth approximately $64,000. Finally, McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000. 93.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on WTW. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $235.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $259.00 to $257.00 in a research note on Monday, May 1st. Raymond James cut their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $275.00 to $270.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $255.00 to $256.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $303.00 to $289.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.85.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Julie Jarecke Gebauer sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.44, for a total value of $578,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 79,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,455,025.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 1.0 %

Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $229.67 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.04, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.75. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited has a 1-year low of $187.89 and a 1-year high of $258.93. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $231.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $238.80.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.22 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 14.76% and a net margin of 12.18%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.66 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited will post 14.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 17th. Investors of record on Friday, June 30th will be paid a $0.84 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 29th. This represents a $3.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.46%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.70%.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company Profile

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Willis Towers Watson Plc engages in the provision of advisory, broking, and solutions services. It operates through the following segments: Human Capital and Benefits (HCB), Corporate Risk and Broking (CRB), Investment, Risk and Reinsurance (IRR), and Benefits Delivery and Administration (BDA). The HCB segment provides advice, broking, solutions, and software for employee benefit plans, human resources organizations, and management teams.