Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Increases Holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 331,058 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,003 shares during the period. Willis Towers Watson Public comprises 1.9% of Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. owned approximately 0.35% of Willis Towers Watson Public worth $114,364,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 0.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,372,970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,928,792,000 after purchasing an additional 103,784 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,238,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,912,041,000 after buying an additional 146,104 shares during the last quarter. Dodge & Cox boosted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 184.1% in the 3rd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 3,632,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,254,740,000 after buying an additional 2,353,768 shares in the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 3,579,098 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,096,994,000 after buying an additional 62,570 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,279,417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $698,642,000 after acquiring an additional 103,695 shares during the last quarter. 93.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of WTW stock opened at $289.54 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.68, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $310.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $322.70. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a twelve month low of $275.60 and a twelve month high of $352.79.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $8.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.93 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.87 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.53% and a return on equity of 20.91%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $8.13 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. This is an increase from Willis Towers Watson Public’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $380.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $366.00 to $379.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $375.00 to $388.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $351.00 to $366.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Willis Towers Watson Public from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $373.14.

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.