First Horizon Corp Makes New Investment in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $651,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company’s stock valued at $429,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company’s stock worth $875,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $811,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 1st quarter valued at $2,065,000. 93.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of WTW opened at $327.42 on Wednesday. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a one year low of $292.97 and a one year high of $352.79. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $325.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $325.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a current ratio of 1.69. The company has a market capitalization of $31.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.63.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $3.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.28 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.46% and a net margin of 21.58%.Willis Towers Watson Public’s quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.93 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, September 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 4.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on WTW shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $375.00 to $388.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $356.00 to $366.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective (up previously from $380.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $369.85.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company Profile

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ: WTW) is a global advisory, broking and solutions company that helps organizations manage risk, optimize benefits and cultivate talent. The firm combines insurance brokerage and risk management capabilities with human capital and benefits consulting, actuarial and analytics services, and technology-enabled solutions. Willis Towers Watson serves a broad client base that includes multinational and mid-sized corporations, public sector organizations, insurers and investment managers.

The company’s core activities encompass commercial and reinsurance brokerage, risk transfer and risk-financing advice, and claims advocacy, alongside employee benefits and retirement consulting.