Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) Stake Cut by Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 9.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,241 shares of the company’s stock after selling 131 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $419,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WTW. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company’s stock valued at $429,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 29.7% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 520 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,463 shares of the company’s stock worth $458,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,559,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 11,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,606,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

WTW stock opened at $309.82 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $30.72 billion, a PE ratio of -619.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The business has a 50 day moving average of $306.38 and a 200-day moving average of $316.84. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12-month low of $257.58 and a 12-month high of $344.14.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $3.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.27 by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.29 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a positive return on equity of 20.53% and a negative net margin of 0.54%. The company’s revenue was down 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.13 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s payout ratio is presently -736.00%.

Insider Activity

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,600 shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.75, for a total transaction of $505,200.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,783,316.50. The trade was a 11.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on WTW shares. Barclays lowered their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $316.00 to $305.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $369.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $344.00 to $395.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $371.00 to $366.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $373.00 to $371.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $367.11.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company operates as an advisory, broking, and solutions company worldwide. It operates through two segments: Health, Wealth & Career and Risk & Broking. The company offers strategy and design consulting, plan management service and support, broking and administration services for health, wellbeing, and other group benefit program, including medical, dental, disability, life, voluntary benefits and other coverages; actuarial support, plan design, and administrative services for pension and retirement savings plans; retirement consulting services and solutions; and integrated solutions that consists of investment discretionary management, pension administration, core actuarial, and communication and change management assistance services.