Polen Capital Management LLC Sells 192,359 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Polen Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 87.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 27,425 shares of the company’s stock after selling 192,359 shares during the period. Polen Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $9,012,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WTW. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company’s stock valued at $429,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 38.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 12.6% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 14,806 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,538,000 after purchasing an additional 1,659 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke acquired 1,896 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $263.37 per share, for a total transaction of $499,349.52. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 22,717 shares in the company, valued at $5,982,976.29. This represents a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 1.2%

NASDAQ:WTW opened at $260.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 2.92 and a current ratio of 2.92. The company has a market cap of $24.63 billion, a PE ratio of 15.21, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.43. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 52-week low of $240.61 and a 52-week high of $352.79. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $269.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $297.77.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 16.84%.Willis Towers Watson Public’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.13 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on WTW. Truist Financial upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Willis Towers Watson Public from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $379.00 to $351.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $353.00 to $338.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $384.00 to $380.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $350.00.

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.