Canoe Financial LP Boosts Stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Canoe Financial LP raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 257,589 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,248 shares during the period. Canoe Financial LP’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $88,984,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public during the second quarter valued at about $39,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the first quarter worth about $43,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 31.3% in the 2nd quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $70,000. 93.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $303.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $362.00 to $356.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. Wolfe Research upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $373.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $367.23.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

NASDAQ WTW opened at $334.44 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.69 and a quick ratio of 1.69. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $323.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $322.47. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 1 year low of $292.97 and a 1 year high of $352.79. The company has a market cap of $32.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.92, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.63.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.28 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.46% and a net margin of 21.58%.The firm’s revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.93 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.52%.

Willis Towers Watson Public announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, September 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 4.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.