Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $290.86 Million Stock Position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 1.2% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,000,558 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,851 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $290,856,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 19,465 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,659,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. SEB Asset Management AB acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the first quarter worth $10,795,000. Swiss National Bank raised its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 5.1% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 281,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,690,000 after buying an additional 13,680 shares during the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd bought a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the first quarter worth $842,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 21.1% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $476,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 0.8%

WTW stock opened at $286.51 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $267.50 and its 200 day moving average is $287.54. The stock has a market cap of $27.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.43. 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 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 announced its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.07. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.52%. The business had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.13 earnings per share. Willis Towers Watson Public’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.39%.

Insider Activity

In related 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 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. The trade was a 9.11% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on WTW shares. Truist Financial upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $380.00 to $381.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $322.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 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 on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $351.80.

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.