Willis Towers Stock Price, News & Analysis

The Global Top 300 Pension Funds report by WTW's Thinking Ahead Institute reveals a 10% increase in assets under management (AuM) for the world's largest pension funds in 2023, reaching $22.6 trillion. This growth erased much of the 13% decline experienced in 2022. The top 20 funds outpaced their smaller peers with a 12% increase in assets and a 5.4% compound annual growth rate over five years.

Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund remains the largest globally with $1.59 trillion AuM, closely followed by Norway's Government Pension Fund at $1.58 trillion. The report highlights regional differences in asset allocation and fund types, with defined benefit funds dominating in North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe.

WTW (NASDAQ: WTW) has announced the launch of Client Edge Facility, an innovative property facility developed in collaboration with Canopius and Verita Capital Solutions. This exclusive property option, available in the market, is designed to provide coverage for large and complex risks, as well as middle market property risks for shared and layered programs across WTW's U.S. property portfolio.

Key features of Client Edge Facility include:

• Led by Canopius and underwritten on its U.S. Excess & Surplus (E&S) paper
• Offers additional property capacity with a specialized premium discount
• Limit of up to $25 million USD
• Potential for expansion into other lines of business

This initiative demonstrates WTW's commitment to delivering innovative solutions to clients across all industries and product lines.

WTW (NASDAQ: WTW) has announced new leadership for its Transactional Insurance Solutions team within Corporate Risk and Broking North America. Simone Bonnet and Andrew Hirsch have been appointed as Co-Heads, bringing extensive experience in private equity and corporate client work. Their roles will involve managing clients' risk strategies on corporate M&A transactions, accelerating team growth, and developing innovative transactional coverage solutions.

Bonnet, with over 15 years of experience in broking, underwriting, and legal practice, joined WTW in 2021 from Hamilton Insurance Group. Hirsch, also joining in 2021, came from Everest Insurance with a background in corporate law. Both leaders have strong educational backgrounds from prestigious institutions.

This move aims to strengthen WTW's position in the transactional solutions market, focusing on innovation and expansion of market-leading solutions.

WTW (NASDAQ: WTW) has announced the appointment of Jenna Ziomek as the new Property and Casualty (P&C) Leader for Private Equity and Transactional Solutions (PE&TS) in North America. With 17 years of industry experience, Ziomek will lead the P&C team towards accelerating growth, executing strategy, and strengthening WTW's position in Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) transactions.

Ziomek joined WTW in 2021 and previously served as the Large and Complex Casualty Broking Leader for the Midwest. Her appointment is expected to drive optimal results for insureds and help WTW exceed growth objectives. The company aims to leverage Ziomek's expertise to enhance its ability to recruit, retain, and execute in the PE&TS sector.

WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), a global advisory, broking and solutions company, has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.88 per common share for the quarter ended June 30, 2024. The dividend will be paid on or around October 15, 2024 to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 30, 2024. This announcement demonstrates WTW's commitment to providing consistent returns to its shareholders and reflects the company's financial stability.

According to a WTW survey, 34% of U.S. workers aged 50+ are either phasing into retirement or want to do so. This trend comes as 46% of older workers expect to work past 70, up from 36% two years ago. The survey reveals that 79% of workers aren't saving enough for retirement, and only 52% feel they're on track. Financial security is the primary driver for retirement decisions, followed by health and leisure time.

The survey also highlights that 66% of employees view their employer-provided retirement plan as more important than ever, with 72% considering it their primary savings method. Notably, 55% cite their retirement plan as a key reason to stay with their current employer, up from 48% in 2017.

WTW (NASDAQ: WTW) has launched its Natural Catastrophe Review for Jan-June 2023, highlighting the potential impact of El Niño on renewable energy production and global weather patterns. Key findings include:

1. El Niño could cause wind drought in North America, affecting renewable energy production.
2. 2023 has seen five category five storms in the first five months.
3. Canadian wildfires have burned over 11 million hectares.
4. Human activities often exacerbate natural disasters, as seen in floods in New Zealand and Italy, and wildfires in Chile.
5. Potential socio-economic tipping points due to gradual climate change.
6. El Niño events lead to increased global surface temperatures.

The report emphasizes the importance of incorporating scientific analysis in natural catastrophe risk modeling to help businesses understand and mitigate risks.

WTW (NASDAQ: WTW) has been recognized in the Forbes list of America's Best Employers for Women 2024. This prestigious award, presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., is based on an independent survey of over 150,000 women working for companies with at least 1,000 employees in the U.S. The evaluation considered personal and public assessments, as well as diversity among top executives and board members.

The survey covered various aspects including atmosphere, development, diversity, image, salary, workplace conditions, representation, pay equity, discrimination, flexibility, family support, and parental leave. Over 4 million employer evaluations were considered in the process.

Kristy Banas, CHRO at WTW, expressed honor at the recognition, stating it acknowledges their commitment to making WTW a great place for all colleagues to build careers globally, fostering a sense of belonging.

WTW (NASDAQ: WTW) reported strong Q2 2024 results, with revenue increasing 5% to $2.3 billion and organic growth of 6%. The company saw significant improvements in profitability, with diluted EPS up 55% to $1.36 and adjusted diluted EPS up 24% to $2.55. Operating margin expanded by 280 basis points to 9.4%, while adjusted operating margin rose 240 basis points to 17.0%.

Both major segments, Health, Wealth & Career (HWC) and Risk & Broking (R&B), showed strong performance. HWC revenue grew 4% to $1.26 billion, with a 360 basis point increase in operating margin to 21.9%. R&B revenue increased 9% to $979 million, with a 450 basis point jump in operating margin to 20.6%.

Based on strong H1 2024 performance, WTW raised the low end of its full-year 2024 outlook for adjusted operating margin to 23.0%-23.5% and adjusted EPS to $16.00-$17.00.