Hosking Partners LLP Reduces Holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW)

Hosking Partners LLP lessened its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW - Free Report) by 11.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,809 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,253 shares during the period. Hosking Partners LLP's holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $10,277,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 95,880.2% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 7,569,000 shares of the company's stock worth $2,229,298,000 after purchasing an additional 7,561,114 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 277.8% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 844,417 shares of the company's stock worth $248,706,000 after buying an additional 620,926 shares in the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 47,515.7% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 499,965 shares of the company's stock valued at $147,255,000 after acquiring an additional 498,915 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 33,979.6% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 458,370 shares of the company's stock valued at $143,580,000 after acquiring an additional 457,025 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canoe Financial LP acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public during the fourth quarter worth about $47,883,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Willis Towers Watson Public

In related news, insider Julie Jarecke Gebauer sold 3,384 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 74,417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,986,996.09. This represents a 4.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 1.9 %

NASDAQ:WTW traded down $6.51 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $333.85. 306,373 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 551,309. The firm has a market cap of $33.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -333.85, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $321.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $307.81. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited has a 52-week low of $245.04 and a 52-week high of $344.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.72.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $8.13 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.44 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from Willis Towers Watson Public's previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. Willis Towers Watson Public's dividend payout ratio is -368.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WTW. Jefferies Financial Group raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $352.00 to $382.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Raymond James upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $365.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective 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. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $278.00 to $302.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $380.00 price target (up from $365.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $342.08.

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.