NBC Securities Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW)

NBC Securities Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited (NASDAQ:WTW) by 66.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 438 shares of the company’s stock after selling 849 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc.’s holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public were worth $129,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 4th quarter worth about $286,000. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 12.3% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,302 shares of the company’s stock worth $633,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public by 3.2% during the first quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 6,222 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,711,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in Willis Towers Watson Public in the 1st quarter valued at $199,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Willis Towers Watson Public by 191.3% in the 1st quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 4,197 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,154,000 after purchasing an additional 2,756 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.09% of the company’s stock.

Willis Towers Watson Public Stock Performance

Shares of WTW stock opened at $290.03 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 1.94. The firm has a market cap of $29.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $289.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $271.20. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited has a one year low of $203.36 and a one year high of $303.42.

Willis Towers Watson Public (NASDAQ:WTW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $2.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $2.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.27 billion. Willis Towers Watson Public had a return on equity of 16.97% and a net margin of 11.24%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.05 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Willis Towers Watson Public Limited will post 16.49 EPS for the current year.

Willis Towers Watson Public Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.21%. Willis Towers Watson Public’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on WTW shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $295.00 to $314.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Willis Towers Watson Public from $321.00 to $334.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $320.00 to $323.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Roth Mkm increased their price target on Willis Towers Watson Public from $315.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Willis Towers Watson Public from $275.00 to $272.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $309.47.

Willis Towers Watson Public Profile

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company operates as an advisory, broking, and solutions company worldwide. It operates through two segments: Health, Wealth & Career and Risk & Broking. The company offers strategy and design consulting, plan management service and support, broking and administration services for health, wellbeing, and other group benefit program, including medical, dental, disability, life, voluntary benefits and other coverages; actuarial support, plan design, and administrative services for pension and retirement savings plans; retirement consulting services and solutions; and integrated solutions that consists of investment discretionary management, pension administration, core actuarial, and communication and change management assistance services.