Teacher Retirement System of Texas Sells 85,110 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lessened its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 98.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,665 shares of the company's stock after selling 85,110 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $522,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WTW. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 33,979.6% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 458,370 shares of the company's stock valued at $143,580,000 after purchasing an additional 457,025 shares in the last quarter. Canoe Financial LP bought a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,883,000. Cidel Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,964,000. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the third quarter worth $39,999,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the fourth quarter worth $41,559,000. 93.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 6.3 %

WTW traded down $21.08 during trading on Friday, reaching $311.33. 708,142 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 545,408. The stock's 50-day moving average is $329.57 and its 200 day moving average is $314.62. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited has a 12 month low of $245.04 and a 12 month high of $344.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.04 billion, a PE ratio of -311.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.71.

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Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last released its 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. Willis Towers Watson Public had a positive return on equity of 20.02% and a negative net margin of 0.99%. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.44 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.18%. 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 currently -368.00%.

Insider Activity at Willis Towers Watson Public

In related news, insider Julie Jarecke Gebauer sold 3,384 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 74,417 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,986,996.09. The trade was a 4.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on WTW shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $378.00 to $387.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Raymond James upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $365.00 to $400.00 in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $352.00 to $382.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $380.00 to $345.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $357.00 to $373.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.