AON (NYSE:AON) Trading Down 6.2% – Time to Sell?

Aon plc (NYSE:AON) shares fell 6.2% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $324.82 and last traded at $320.8140. 1,046,432 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 14% from the average session volume of 1,214,277 shares. The stock had previously closed at $342.04.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AON has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of AON from $433.00 to $406.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of AON from $410.00 to $416.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley set a $400.00 price objective on AON in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on AON from $448.00 to $443.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $385.00 price target on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $409.75.

AON Trading Down 9.5%

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $347.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $353.42. The stock has a market cap of $66.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.03 and a quick ratio of 1.35.

AON (NYSE:AON) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.75 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $4.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. AON had a return on equity of 45.23% and a net margin of 21.51%.The company’s revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.42 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Aon plc will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be paid a $0.745 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $2.98 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. AON’s payout ratio is currently 17.51%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AON. Dodge & Cox bought a new position in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,235,437,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of AON in the second quarter worth $754,671,000. Viking Global Investors LP bought a new stake in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter valued at $504,424,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in AON by 40,219.8% during the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 846,715 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $301,922,000 after purchasing an additional 844,615 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independent Franchise Partners LLP boosted its stake in AON by 41.6% in the 3rd quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 2,096,486 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $747,565,000 after purchasing an additional 615,570 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AON Company Profile

Aon plc is a global professional services firm that provides a broad suite of risk, retirement and health solutions to corporations, institutions and individuals. The company operates primarily as an insurance broker and risk adviser, helping clients identify, quantify and transfer risk across property, casualty, cyber and other areas. Aon also offers reinsurance brokerage and capital market solutions that connect insurers, reinsurers and corporate buyers.

In addition to traditional brokerage activities, Aon delivers consulting and outsourcing services in areas such as human capital, benefits, and retirement plan design and administration.