Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Buys 52,125 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 945.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,641 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 52,125 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $18,941,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $244,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Avantra Family Wealth Inc. boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Avantra Family Wealth Inc. now owns 1,484 shares of the company’s stock valued at $488,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 5.3% in the third quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 982 shares of the company’s stock valued at $340,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 5.5% in the third quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,059 shares of the company’s stock valued at $366,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Willis Towers Watson Public

Here are the key news stories impacting Willis Towers Watson Public this week:

• Positive Sentiment: At its Q1 earnings call, WTW highlighted margin improvement, suggesting the company is continuing to improve profitability even as growth becomes harder to come by. Willis Towers Watson Balances Margin Gains With Growth Headwinds
• Positive Sentiment: WTW also announced new Corporate Risk & Broking North America leadership appointments, which may support execution and growth initiatives in a key business segment. Willis announces Corporate Risk & Broking North America growth leadership appointments
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s latest survey found employers are rapidly planning to adopt AI in health and benefits, which could reinforce WTW’s relevance in advisory and benefits services, but the report also noted execution and governance gaps. Employers set to rapidly expand AI use in health and benefits, but execution gaps remain, WTW survey finds
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP opened an investor investigation into claims on behalf of WTW shareholders, adding legal uncertainty that can weigh on the stock. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Willis Towers Watson plc – WTW
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research lowered some near-term earnings estimates for WTW, signaling softer expectations for growth in parts of the business. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company analyst estimates

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $254.20 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 market capitalization of $24.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $281.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $305.27. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12 month low of $240.61 and a 12 month high of $352.79.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.41 billion during 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.13 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on WTW. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $409.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target 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. Citigroup upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Evercore raised their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $383.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $351.73.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Lucy Clarke purchased 1,896 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at $5,982,976.29. This trade represents a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.