Sound Shore Management Inc. CT Sells 21,432 Shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company $WTW

Sound Shore Management Inc. CT lowered its stake in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 226,119 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,432 shares during the quarter. Willis Towers Watson Public accounts for 2.4% of Sound Shore Management Inc. CT’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $74,303,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WTW. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $429,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 7.6% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company’s stock worth $875,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 16.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $811,000 after buying an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings 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 worth $47,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,659 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Willis Towers Watson Public

In other news, insider Lucy Clarke purchased 1,896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $263.37 per share, with a total value of $499,349.52. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 22,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,982,976.29. This represents a 9.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:WTW opened at $250.98 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.71 billion, a PE ratio of 14.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 2.92 and a quick ratio of 2.92. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $273.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $300.18. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company has a 1 year low of $240.61 and a 1 year high of $352.79.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $3.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.07. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 21.52% and a net margin of 16.84%.The firm had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.13 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company will post 19.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WTW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Evercore upped their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $383.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased 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. BMO Capital Markets upgraded 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. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $409.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $330.00 to $320.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Towers Watson Public currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $351.73.

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.