Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Purchases 22,010 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 59.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 59,338 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,010 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $17,250,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 72.1% during the first quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $403,000 after purchasing an additional 580 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH grew its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 2,473 shares of the company’s stock worth $719,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the period. USS Investment Management Ltd grew its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 9.3% during the first quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 17,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,142,000 after purchasing an additional 1,504 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 0.3% in the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 19,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,630,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the first quarter worth $369,000. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $286.22 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.03 billion, a PE ratio of 16.69, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.43. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12-month low of $240.61 and a 12-month high of $352.79. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $261.42 and its 200 day moving average is $291.59. The company has a quick ratio of 2.92, a current ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.52%. The business’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.13 earnings per share. As a group, 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 firm also recently disclosed 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 yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public’s payout ratio is currently 22.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WTW. BMO Capital Markets raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $347.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group reduced their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $400.00 to $374.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Truist Financial upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $350.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke purchased 1,896 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

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.