Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Shares Sold by Brandes Investment Partners LP

Brandes Investment Partners LP decreased its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 14.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 233,830 shares of the company’s stock after selling 41,067 shares during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP owned approximately 0.24% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $71,671,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the second quarter worth $39,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 1st quarter worth $43,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings 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 Willis Towers Watson Public in the first quarter valued at about $54,000. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the second quarter worth about $70,000. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $320.79 on Tuesday. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 52 week low of $292.97 and a 52 week high of $352.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market cap of $30.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 219.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $329.18 and a 200-day moving average of $320.80.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.02. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 1.40% and a return on equity of 21.60%. The firm had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.93 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, September 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 4.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WTW shares. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $373.00 to $387.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Barclays decreased their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $303.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of 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. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $382.00 to $373.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $368.62.

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.