Upcoming AWS Coverage on Marsh & McLennan Cos. Post-Earnings Results

LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / January 18, 2017 / Active Wall St. blog coverage looks at the headline from Willis Towers Watson PLC (NASDAQ: WLTW). On January 16th, 2017, Alliance Trust, one of the largest generalist investment trusts by market value listed on the London Stock Exchange, proposed Willis Towers Watson as its investment manager. Previously on December 15th, 2016 the Board of Alliance Trust set out a proposed new approach to managing the Trust`s equity portfolio, with the aim of increasing the likelihood of consistently delivering the performance target and maintaining its dividend track record. Register with us now for your free membership and blog access at:

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One of Willis Towers Watson's competitors within the Insurance Brokers space, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc (NYSE: MMC), announced on January 05, 2017, that it will release its Q4 and full-year 2016 results on Thursday, February 02, 2017, in a news release to be issued before the market opens. AWS will be initiating a research report on Marsh & McLennan in the coming days following its upcoming earnings results.

Today, AWS is promoting its blog coverage on WLTW; touching on MMC. Get all of our free blog coverage and more by clicking on the links below:

http://www.activewallst.com/registration-3/?symbol=WLTW

http://www.activewallst.com/registration-3/?symbol=MMC

The Details

Alliance Trust which had total assets of £3.3 billion as of end of December 2016, stated that its objective will remain to generate real return for shareholders over the long-term by a combination of capital growth and rising dividend. The Board is proposing that Willis Towers Watson will become the investment manager, working with eight equity managers, each of whom is rated best-in-class by Willis Towers Watson. Each manager will typically select 20 stocks, which will make up the combined portfolio of the Trust. Willis Towers Watson will maintain overall oversight of the combined portfolio, including income, risk, and concentration characteristics. Craig Baker, CIO of Willis Towers Watson, will lead the team responsible for the combined portfolio, with David Shapiro and Mark Davis as co-portfolio managers and Stuart Gray as the lead researcher.

In light of the Board`s decision for the new approach, the target for the equity portfolio to outperform the existing benchmark, the MSCI All Country World Index, will be doubled from 1% to 2% per annum, net of costs, over rolling three-year periods. Furthermore, by leveraging the scale of Alliance Trust and Willis Towers Watson, total annual costs will be targeted to be below 60bps, a highly competitive rate for an investment trust offering access to such best-in-class 3 managers and targeting this level of outperformance.

Head of Financial Lines

On January 13th, 2017, Willis Towers Watson announced the appointment of Alexis Faber as Global Head of Financial Lines. Financial Lines is comprised of Financial and Executive Lines, Financial Solutions, and other financial products and is part of the Company's Corporate Risk & Broking segment.
Previously, Faber served as co-head of Global Financial Lines as well as the leader of FINEX in North America. In addition to these roles, Faber has and will continue to be responsible for the strategic direction of Willis Towers Watson's global Cyber business. She will continue to report to Todd Jones, Willis Towers Watson's Global Head of Corporate Risk & Broking.

Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Faber joined Willis Towers Watson in 2003 and has more than 16 years of experience in the insurance and financial services industry. Prior to joining Willis, she worked in investment banking at Citigroup with a focus on the financial services Industry. Faber was recognized by Business Insurance as a "Woman to Watch" in 2010. She has a BA from Williams College and an MBA from Columbia University.

Commenting on this appointment, Todd Jones said:

"We are thrilled to have Alexis leading this important business for Willis Towers Watson. Her strong background in Financial Lines combined with her broad financial, operational and leadership experience, will help us execute on our strategy in Corporate Risk & Broking."

Stock Performance

At the closing bell, on Tuesday, January 17, 2017, Willis Towers Watson's stock marginally rose by 0.48%, ending the trading session at $125.33. A total volume of 778.60 thousand shares were traded at the end of the day, which was higher than the 3-month average volume of 730.76 thousand shares. In the last month and previous twelve months, shares of the Company have advanced 2.91% and 13.16%, respectively. Moreover, the stock gained 2.49% since the start of the year. The Company's shares are trading at a PE ratio of 74.25 and have a dividend yield of 1.53%.

Earnings Alert: Willis Towers Watson will release its financial results for Q4 2016 on February 09, 2017 before the market opens. The company will host a conference call to discuss its financial results at 9:00 a.m. ET on the same day.

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SOURCE: Active Wall Street