Pacer Advisors Inc. Acquires 2,775 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 35.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 10,623 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,775 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $3,491,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WTW. Dodge & Cox increased its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 90.7% in the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 6,925,525 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,275,728,000 after acquiring an additional 3,293,334 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the fourth quarter worth $511,151,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC bought a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the fourth quarter worth $284,570,000. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 657.3% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 941,637 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,422,000 after purchasing an additional 817,301 shares during the period. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in 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 valued at $1,151,808,000 after purchasing an additional 664,202 shares in the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WTW. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $384.00 to $380.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $363.00 to $354.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $400.00 to $374.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Mizuho dropped their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $353.00 to $338.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $354.00 to $347.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $350.00.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 1.8%

Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $257.55 on Wednesday. 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 $24.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.43. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $265.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $294.30. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.52%. The business’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.13 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s payout ratio is 22.39%.

Insider Transactions at Willis Towers Watson Public

In related news, insider Lucy Clarke acquired 1,896 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 22,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. This trade represents a 9.11% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

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.