Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Shares Acquired by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 145.3% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 16,504 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,775 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $4,314,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WTW. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 690,210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $226,803,000 after acquiring an additional 10,697 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter worth about $511,151,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 45.7% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 20,225 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,646,000 after purchasing an additional 6,340 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 945.0% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 57,641 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,941,000 after purchasing an additional 52,125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 158,741 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,162,000 after purchasing an additional 9,112 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 3.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:WTW opened at $313.72 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $319.89 and a 200-day moving average of $291.36. The firm has a market cap of $29.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.41. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a twelve month low of $240.61 and a twelve month high of $352.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $3.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.12 by $0.23. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 22.19%. The business had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.42 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.86 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be given a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio is 23.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on WTW shares. Barclays dropped 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. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $345.00 price objective (up from $300.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Monday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $316.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $378.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $369.38.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ: WTW) is a global advisory, insurance brokerage and solutions firm serving organizations, institutions and individuals. The company helps clients manage risk, optimize benefits and support workforce performance through a combination of consulting expertise, data, analytics and technology.

WTW’s businesses include risk and insurance brokerage, corporate risk management, actuarial and insurance consulting, retirement and investment consulting, and health and benefits advisory services.