Cooper Investors PTY Ltd. Sells 51,718 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Cooper Investors PTY Ltd. decreased its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 76.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,247 shares of the company’s stock after selling 51,718 shares during the period. Willis Towers Watson Public makes up 1.5% of Cooper Investors PTY Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Cooper Investors PTY Ltd.’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $5,613,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the second quarter valued at about $458,662,000. Dodge & Cox bought a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 2nd quarter valued at about $391,837,000. Soundwatch Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $272,790,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 80.2% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,038,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $318,231,000 after purchasing an additional 462,249 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 1,320.9% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 324,317 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,403,000 after buying an additional 301,493 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

WTW opened at $334.44 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $323.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $322.47. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 52-week low of $292.97 and a 52-week high of $352.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a current ratio of 1.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.02 billion, a PE ratio of 15.92, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.63.

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

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

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

Willis Towers Watson Public declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, September 18th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 4.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on WTW shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of 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. Barclays reduced 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 note on Thursday, November 20th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $373.00 to $387.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Wolfe Research upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $408.00 to $391.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $367.23.

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.