Baupost Group LLC MA Purchases 268,536 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Baupost Group LLC MA boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 24.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,357,601 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 268,536 shares during the quarter. Willis Towers Watson Public accounts for 8.5% of Baupost Group LLC MA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Baupost Group LLC MA owned 1.42% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $446,108,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WTW. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company’s stock valued at $429,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $875,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $811,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 12.6% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 14,806 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,538,000 after acquiring an additional 1,659 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, insider Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at $5,982,976.29. The trade was a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WTW. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $283.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $347.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Truist Financial upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $322.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Towers Watson Public currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $350.00.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of WTW opened at $262.63 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $269.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $297.53. The stock has a market cap of $24.81 billion, a PE ratio of 15.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.43. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12 month low of $240.61 and a 12 month 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 data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.07. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 16.84%.The company had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.13 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

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

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.