First Trust Advisors LP Has $44.83 Million Stock Holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 19.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 154,214 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 24,758 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.16% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $44,830,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WTW. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position 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 worth $429,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $875,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $811,000 after buying an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.0% during the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 9,273 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,842,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

NASDAQ WTW opened at $295.11 on Monday. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 1 year low of $240.61 and a 1 year high of $352.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.43. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $269.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $286.99. The company has a current ratio of 2.92, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.07. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 16.84%.The business had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.13 earnings per share. Willis Towers Watson Public’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on WTW. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $322.00 to $303.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Mizuho upped their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $338.00 to $361.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $380.00 to $381.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $351.80.

Insider Transactions at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke acquired 1,896 shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. The trade was a 9.11% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Willis Towers Watson Public 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.