Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Takes $1.54 Million Position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund bought a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 5,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,538,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 690,210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $226,803,000 after purchasing an additional 10,697 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 45.7% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 20,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,646,000 after purchasing an additional 6,340 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 945.0% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 57,641 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,941,000 after buying an additional 52,125 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter valued at $511,151,000. Finally, National Pension Service increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 158,741 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,162,000 after buying an additional 9,112 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ WTW opened at $288.82 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.43. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 52 week low of $240.61 and a 52 week high of $352.79. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $266.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $287.83. 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 issued its earnings results 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. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.52%. The company had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.13 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Bank of America lowered 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 report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised 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 report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $338.00 to $361.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $351.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke acquired 1,896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 22,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. This trade represents a 9.11% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.