California Public Employees Retirement System Sells 68,924 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

California Public Employees Retirement System lessened its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 15.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 373,827 shares of the company’s stock after selling 68,924 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned about 0.38% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $114,578,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 1st quarter worth approximately $43,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the first quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the second quarter valued at approximately $70,000. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

WTW stock opened at $320.70 on Monday. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 1-year low of $292.97 and a 1-year high of $352.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market cap of $30.71 billion, a PE ratio of 15.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.63. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $327.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $320.97.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.02. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.46% and a net margin of 21.58%.The company had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.28 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.93 earnings per share. Willis Towers Watson Public’s revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast 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 authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, September 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 4.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price (up previously from $380.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Monday, September 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $382.00 to $373.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. TD Cowen reduced their target price 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. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $351.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $367.67.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company 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.