Cortland Associates Inc. MO Sells 3,079 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW)

Cortland Associates Inc. MO cut its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 1.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 194,489 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,079 shares during the quarter. Willis Towers Watson Public comprises approximately 7.0% of Cortland Associates Inc. MO's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Cortland Associates Inc. MO owned about 0.19% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $57,283,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 6.8% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 116,615 shares of the company's stock worth $32,069,000 after acquiring an additional 7,404 shares during the last quarter. M&G Plc acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the first quarter valued at about $12,318,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 520.3% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 417,427 shares of the company's stock worth $114,765,000 after buying an additional 350,135 shares during the period. Swedbank AB purchased a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the first quarter worth about $4,512,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 115,262 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,706,000 after acquiring an additional 3,021 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Up 1.2 %

WTW traded up $3.52 on Monday, reaching $302.82. The company's stock had a trading volume of 829,468 shares, compared to its average volume of 470,434. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $291.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.37. The company has a market capitalization of $30.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -40.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.73. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited has a fifty-two week low of $234.00 and a fifty-two week high of $308.87.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.28 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a positive return on equity of 18.57% and a negative net margin of 7.36%. The business's revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.24 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited will post 16.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.16%. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio is presently -48.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on WTW. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $320.00 to $323.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $295.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $334.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $275.00 to $272.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $309.87.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

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.