Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Sells 83,192 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lowered its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,461,646 shares of the company’s stock after selling 83,192 shares during the period. Willis Towers Watson Public makes up approximately 1.7% of Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $1,137,497,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 375.0% during the fourth quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 76 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 72.5% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 88 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $259.65 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $268.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $296.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.52 billion, a PE ratio of 15.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.43. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 1-year low of $240.61 and a 1-year high of $352.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 2.92 and a quick ratio of 2.92.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last issued its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.52%. The company’s revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.13 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, insider Lucy Clarke purchased 1,896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 22,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,982,976.29. The trade was a 9.11% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WTW. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Bank of America dropped 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. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $400.00 to $374.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $353.00 to $338.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $322.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $350.00.

Willis Towers Watson Public 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.