Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 4,840 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 114,343 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,840 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $39,500,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WTW. Quadcap Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Quadcap Wealth Management LLC now owns 747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $229,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital increased its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 919 shares of the company’s stock worth $322,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors raised its position in Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 779 shares of the company’s stock worth $269,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Ethic Inc. lifted its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 14,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,853,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Gateway Investment Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $789,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on WTW shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective 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. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $387.00 to $356.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Willis Towers Watson Public from $408.00 to $391.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $383.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $372.71.

Willis Towers Watson Public Trading Down 3.7%

Willis Towers Watson Public stock opened at $327.32 on Friday. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 12-month low of $292.97 and a 12-month high of $352.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $326.48 and a 200 day moving average of $327.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $8.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.93 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.87 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a net margin of 16.53% and a return on equity of 20.91%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $8.13 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 17.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.47%.

Willis Towers Watson Public Profile

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.