Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. Sells 1,061 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW)

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW) by 11.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,584 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,061 shares during the period. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $2,070,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. LPL Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public during the second quarter valued at about $1,713,000. Macquarie Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the second quarter worth approximately $1,203,000. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,942,000. Prudential Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public during the second quarter worth $18,677,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD purchased a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,367,000. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $257.19 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $271.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $248.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.30 billion, a PE ratio of 25.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.73. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited has a 12 month low of $195.29 and a 12 month high of $278.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The company reported $7.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.05 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $2.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.91 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 11.12% and a return on equity of 15.70%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.33 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited will post 16.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Sunday, March 31st were paid a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. This is an increase from Willis Towers Watson Public’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. Willis Towers Watson Public’s payout ratio is presently 35.13%.

Insider Activity at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other news, CFO Andrew Jay Krasner sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.13, for a total transaction of $299,343.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 4,170 shares in the company, valued at $1,134,782.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WTW. Roth Mkm upped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Citigroup upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $236.00 to $315.00 in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $320.00 to $318.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 price objective (up previously from $295.00) on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $290.54.

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.