Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 4,720 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 15.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,555 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 4,720 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $11,137,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Willis Towers Watson Public stock traded down $10.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $322.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 258,329 shares, compared to its average volume of 543,734. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $329.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $314.62. The company has a market capitalization of $32.14 billion, a PE ratio of -322.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 1.98 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.

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

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.92 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. This is a positive change from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. Willis Towers Watson Public's payout ratio is -368.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Willis Towers Watson Public news, insider Julie Jarecke Gebauer sold 3,384 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.77, for a total value of $1,136,245.68. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 74,417 shares in the company, valued at $24,986,996.09. This represents a 4.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Company 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.