Polen Capital, an investment management company, released its “Polen Global Growth Strategy” first-quarter 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. Global equity markets experienced a surge in volatility in 2025 due to US tariffs, with the "Magnificent 7" falling 15% and semiconductors dropping 19%. U.S. stocks lagged, with international equities surpassing them by nearly 10% due to a weakening dollar and a significant tariff shock after the quarter's close. The Strategy returned -5.18% gross (-5.45 % net) in the quarter compared to the MSCI ACW Index’s -1.32% return. In addition, please check the fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2025.
In its first-quarter 2025 investor letter, Polen Global Growth Strategy highlighted stocks such as Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW). Headquartered in London, the United Kingdom, Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) is an advisory, broking, and solutions company. The one-month return of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) was 1.89%, and its shares gained 21.60% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On May 22, 2025, Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) stock closed at $308.07 per share with a market capitalization of $30.527 billion.
Polen Global Growth Strategy stated the following regarding Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) in its Q1 2025 investor letter:
"Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) is a UK-based global advisory, insurance brokerage, and solutions leader. WTW benefits from robust customer relationships with high switching costs, brand recognition, and scaled distribution in a highly fragmented and durable market. Recent management updates signal a more favorable business mix, continued operational improvements, and increasingly focused capital allocation decisions. These drivers support accelerated revenue growth and margin expansion in the coming years. As a proof point on capital allocation, since regulators blocked the Aon/WTW merger in 2021, WTW repurchased more than 21% of shares outstanding over three years. At current low valuation levels, these buybacks represent low-risk, high-return allocations of capital—an approach we’d welcome more of. Sound execution in a durable growth market should enable a shareholder return profile in the low-to-mid teens."
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Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 48 hedge fund portfolios held Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) at the end of the fourth quarter compared to 42 in the third quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is as promising as NVIDIA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the undervalued AI stock set for massive gains.
In another article, we covered Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WTW) and shared billionaire David Abrams’ stock picks with huge upside potential. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q1 2025 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.