Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. Has $66.57 Million Stock Holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. lessened its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 275,987 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,794 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. owned about 0.27% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $66,568,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WTW. LPL Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the second quarter valued at $1,713,000. Macquarie Group Ltd. acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the second quarter valued at about $1,203,000. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the second quarter valued at about $2,942,000. Prudential Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the second quarter valued at about $18,677,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the second quarter valued at about $29,367,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $262.99 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $271.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $248.90. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited has a 52-week low of $195.29 and a 52-week high of $278.86. The firm has a market cap of $26.89 billion, a PE ratio of 26.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a current ratio of 1.45.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The company reported $7.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.05 by $0.39. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 15.70% and a net margin of 11.12%. The business had revenue of $2.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.33 EPS. Willis Towers Watson Public’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited will post 16.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Sunday, March 31st were given a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. This is a positive change from Willis Towers Watson Public’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WTW shares. TD Cowen started coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $316.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $320.00 to $318.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Citigroup raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $236.00 to $315.00 in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 target price (up previously from $295.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Willis Towers Watson Public from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $236.00 to $298.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $290.54.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.13, for a total value of $299,343.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 4,170 shares in the company, valued at $1,134,782.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.