Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 111,999 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,344 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $36,803,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willis Towers Watson Public 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, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the transaction, the insider owned 22,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,982,976.29. The trade was a 9.11% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. 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. Evercore lifted their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $383.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Citigroup raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $352.00.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ WTW opened at $256.36 on Friday. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a one year low of $246.60 and a one year high of $352.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.21 billion, a PE ratio of 14.95, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 2.92, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $289.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $309.58.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.13 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This is a boost from Willis Towers Watson Public’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio is 22.39%.

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.