Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW Shares Sold by Sterling Capital Management LLC

Sterling Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 41.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,421 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,470 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $994,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $429,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $875,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $811,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 14,806 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,538,000 after acquiring an additional 1,659 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, insider Lucy Clarke acquired 1,896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the purchase, the insider owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at $5,982,976.29. This represents a 9.11% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $379.00 to $351.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of 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. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $354.00 to $347.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $384.00 to $380.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $347.00 to $300.00 in a report on Friday, May 1st. Two equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $350.00.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $261.37 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $262.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $292.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.24, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.43. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 1-year low of $240.61 and a 1-year high of $352.79.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 16.84%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.13 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

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

Willis Towers Watson Public Company 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.