Swiss National Bank Grows Stock Position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Swiss National Bank lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 5.1% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 281,010 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,680 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $81,690,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTW. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 375.0% during the fourth quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 76 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 72.5% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 88 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WTW opened at $288.82 on Wednesday. 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a current ratio of 2.92. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $266.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $287.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.84, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.43.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.13 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

WTW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $322.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays lowered their price objective on 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. Truist Financial raised Willis Towers Watson Public to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $380.00 to $381.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $351.80.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the purchase, the insider owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. The trade was a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

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.