D.A. Davidson & CO. Acquires 1,976 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 13.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,648 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,976 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $4,840,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dodge & Cox boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 90.7% in the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 6,925,525 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,275,728,000 after purchasing an additional 3,293,334 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $511,151,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $284,570,000. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 657.3% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 941,637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,422,000 after buying an additional 817,301 shares during the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 23.4% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,505,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,151,808,000 after buying an additional 664,202 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of WTW opened at $293.45 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $264.99 and its 200 day moving average is $288.72. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a fifty-two week low of $240.61 and a fifty-two week high of $352.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.72 billion, a PE ratio of 17.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a current ratio of 2.92.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.07. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.52%. The business had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.13 earnings per share. Willis Towers Watson Public’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WTW. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $374.00 to $382.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $354.00 to $347.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $347.00 to $300.00 in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $283.00 to $317.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $351.80.

Insider Transactions at Willis Towers Watson Public

In related news, insider Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at $5,982,976.29. This trade represents a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.