River Road Asset Management LLC Increases Holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW)

River Road Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 287,650 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 18,959 shares during the period. Willis Towers Watson Public makes up approximately 1.1% of River Road Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. River Road Asset Management LLC owned 0.28% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $84,722,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,991,311 shares of the company's stock valued at $522,002,000 after purchasing an additional 98,922 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 17.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,728,554 shares of the company's stock worth $453,123,000 after buying an additional 261,562 shares during the last quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA boosted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 6.2% during the 2nd quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 1,652,648 shares of the company's stock worth $433,225,000 after acquiring an additional 96,981 shares in the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC increased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,122,475 shares of the company's stock valued at $294,246,000 after acquiring an additional 39,288 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 22.5% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,006,728 shares of the company's stock worth $263,904,000 after acquiring an additional 185,126 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WTW traded up $5.10 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $307.92. The stock had a trading volume of 644,866 shares, compared to its average volume of 471,250. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited has a 1 year low of $234.00 and a 1 year high of $308.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $292.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.95. The company has a market capitalization of $31.01 billion, a PE ratio of -42.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.73.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.24 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited will post 16.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -48.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WTW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $335.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Barclays began coverage on Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $278.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $295.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $312.27.

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.