Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Cuts Holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lowered its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 52.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,561 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,807 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $744,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dodge & Cox raised its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 90.7% in the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 6,925,525 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,275,728,000 after purchasing an additional 3,293,334 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 23.4% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,505,195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,151,808,000 after purchasing an additional 664,202 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,212,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $727,149,000 after purchasing an additional 57,162 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the 4th quarter worth about $511,151,000. Finally, Baupost Group LLC MA increased its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 24.7% during the 4th quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 1,357,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $446,108,000 after purchasing an additional 268,536 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $286.22 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $261.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $291.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.03 billion, a PE ratio of 16.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a current ratio of 2.92. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a one year low of $240.61 and a one year high of $352.79.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 16.84%.Willis Towers Watson Public’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.13 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio is 22.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WTW has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays cut their price target 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. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $379.00 to $351.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group cut 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 research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $350.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke purchased 1,896 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. This trade represents a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

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.