6,631 Shares in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW) Bought by Groupama Asset Managment

Groupama Asset Managment bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 6,631 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,077,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Y.D. More Investments Ltd increased its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 121.1% during the 4th quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 126 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the fourth quarter worth $49,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 95.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 174 shares of the company's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $72,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the fourth quarter worth $76,000. 93.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Julie Jarecke Gebauer sold 3,384 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.77, for a total transaction of $1,136,245.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 74,417 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,986,996.09. This trade represents a 4.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

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Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 3.0 %

WTW stock traded down $9.14 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $299.66. 367,914 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 549,680. The company has a current ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited has a 12-month low of $245.04 and a 12-month high of $344.14. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $329.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $315.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -299.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.68.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $8.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $8.01 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a positive return on equity of 20.02% and a negative net margin of 0.99%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.44 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited will post 17.32 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. This is an increase from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Willis Towers Watson Public's payout ratio is currently -368.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WTW. UBS Group upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $344.00 to $395.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $378.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $380.00 to $345.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $352.00 to $382.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised Willis Towers Watson Public from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $357.00 to $373.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $346.15.

Willis Towers Watson Public Profile

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company operates as an advisory, broking, and solutions company worldwide. It operates through two segments: Health, Wealth & Career and Risk & Broking. The company offers strategy and design consulting, plan management service and support, broking and administration services for health, wellbeing, and other group benefit program, including medical, dental, disability, life, voluntary benefits and other coverages; actuarial support, plan design, and administrative services for pension and retirement savings plans; retirement consulting services and solutions; and integrated solutions that consists of investment discretionary management, pension administration, core actuarial, and communication and change management assistance services.