LS Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WLTW) by 1.2% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 6,432 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. LS Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited were worth $936,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Architects Inc boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited by 170.6% in the first quarter. Financial Architects Inc now owns 1,253 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $164,000 after buying an additional 790 shares during the period. Vivaldi Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited during the first quarter worth approximately $228,000. Bellwether Investment Group LLC boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited by 14.4% in the first quarter. Bellwether Investment Group LLC now owns 2,070 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $271,000 after buying an additional 261 shares during the period. Conning Inc. boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited by 1.4% in the first quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 2,250 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $295,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, Garrison Financial Corp purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited during the first quarter worth approximately $297,000. Institutional investors own 92.79% of the company’s stock.
Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ WLTW) opened at 147.62 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $19.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.83 and a beta of 0.93. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12-month low of $112.76 and a 12-month high of $150.47. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $146.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $134.67.
Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WLTW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The financial services provider reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $3.33 by $0.38. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited had a net margin of 5.24% and a return on equity of 10.76%. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.41 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post $8.51 EPS for the current year.
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 30th were issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 28th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.97%.
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A number of research analysts have commented on WLTW shares. Citigroup Inc. upped their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public Limited from $166.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 13th. Jefferies Group LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited in a research note on Friday, June 16th. UBS AG reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $163.00 price objective (up from $159.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited in a research note on Monday, June 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $158.00 price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited in a research note on Friday, July 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $166.00 price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited in a research note on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $151.38.
In other Willis Towers Watson Public Limited news, insider Jeffrey W. Ubben sold 445,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.03, for a total value of $64,538,350.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Paul D. Thomas sold 2,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.62, for a total transaction of $311,564.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,450,378 shares of company stock worth $205,839,802 in the last quarter. 6.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company Profile
Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (Willis Towers Watson) is a holding company. The Company operates as a global advisory, broking and solutions company. It is engaged in offering risk management, insurance broking, consulting, technology and solutions, and private exchanges. The Company operates through eight segments: Willis International; Willis North America; Willis Capital, Wholesale & Reinsurance (CWR); Willis GB; Towers Watson Benefits; Towers Watson Exchange Solutions; Towers Watson Risk and Financial Services; and Towers Watson Talent and Rewards.
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