Lazard Asset Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Lazard Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 91.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,143 shares of the company’s stock after selling 23,063 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $623,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $429,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $875,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $811,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 12.6% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 14,806 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,538,000 after acquiring an additional 1,659 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WTW shares. BMO Capital Markets raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $347.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $344.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $354.00 to $347.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $381.00 to $394.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $283.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $363.50.

Willis Towers Watson Public Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WTW opened at $340.01 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.68. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 1-year low of $240.61 and a 1-year high of $352.79. The company has a market capitalization of $31.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.91, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.42. The business has a 50-day moving average of $282.55 and a 200-day moving average of $286.94.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $3.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.12 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.42 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 22.19% and a net margin of 15.49%.The company’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.86 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.62%.

About Willis Towers Watson Public

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ: WTW) is a global advisory, broking and solutions company that helps organizations manage risk, optimize benefits and cultivate talent. The firm combines insurance brokerage and risk management capabilities with human capital and benefits consulting, actuarial and analytics services, and technology-enabled solutions. Willis Towers Watson serves a broad client base that includes multinational and mid-sized corporations, public sector organizations, insurers and investment managers.

The company’s core activities encompass commercial and reinsurance brokerage, risk transfer and risk-financing advice, and claims advocacy, alongside employee benefits and retirement consulting.