Key Points
- Insider purchase: Director Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of Willis Towers Watson (NASDAQ:WTW) at an average price of $263.37 on May 6, spending $499,349.52 and raising her holdings to 22,717 shares (a 9.11% increase), as disclosed in an SEC Form 4.
- Quarterly results: WTW reported $3.72 EPS for the quarter (vs. $3.65 consensus) with revenue of $2.41 billion, up 8.5% year-over-year, and continues to show strong profitability metrics.
- Dividend hike: The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.96 (from $0.92), equal to a $3.84 annualized payout and a roughly 1.5% yield, with a payout ratio around 22.4%.
Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) insider Lucy Clarke bought 1,896 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 22,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,982,976.29. This represents a 9.11% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.
Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance
WTW opened at $252.41 on Thursday. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 52-week low of $246.60 and a 52-week high of $352.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.84 billion, a PE ratio of 14.72, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a current ratio of 2.92. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $290.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $310.08.
Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.13 earnings per share. Willis Towers Watson Public's revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This is an increase from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio is 22.39%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $363.00 to $354.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $341.00 to $283.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group reduced their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $409.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $388.00 to $384.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $352.00.
View Our Latest Stock Report on WTW
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Towers Watson Public
Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 0.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,372,970 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,928,792,000 after buying an additional 103,784 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox boosted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 90.7% in the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 6,925,525 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,275,728,000 after buying an additional 3,293,334 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 23.4% in the fourth 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 buying an additional 664,202 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,212,870 shares of the company's stock valued at $727,149,000 after buying an additional 57,162 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $511,151,000. 93.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Willis Towers Watson Public Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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