125,000 Shares in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Purchased by Alberta Investment Management Corp

Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 125,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,312,000. Willis Towers Watson Public accounts for about 0.4% of Alberta Investment Management Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Alberta Investment Management Corp owned about 0.13% of Willis Towers Watson Public as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 122.9% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 107 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 1st quarter worth $43,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 1st quarter valued at about $54,000. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the second quarter worth approximately $70,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 0.7%

WTW stock opened at $322.13 on Friday. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a twelve month low of $292.97 and a twelve month high of $352.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company has a market cap of $30.84 billion, a PE ratio of 220.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.69. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $332.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $319.85.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $3.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.28 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 1.40% and a return on equity of 21.60%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.93 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, September 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 4.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were paid a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WTW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research raised Willis Towers Watson Public to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 18th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $408.00 to $391.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $377.00 to $382.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price target (up from $380.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Monday, September 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $368.77.

Willis Towers Watson Public Profile

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.