Empowered Funds LLC Boosts Stock Position in Aon plc $AON

Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 20.9% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 22,496 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,892 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in AON were worth $7,261,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AON. Aviva PLC boosted its stake in AON by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 333,454 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $117,669,000 after acquiring an additional 6,622 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of AON by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 37,552 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,251,000 after purchasing an additional 6,509 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in shares of AON by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 67,034 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $23,655,000 after purchasing an additional 5,585 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of AON by 1,864.5% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 343,754 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $121,304,000 after purchasing an additional 326,256 shares during the period. Finally, Highland Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in AON in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,359,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about AON

Here are the key news stories impacting AON this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aon reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $3.81 per share, narrowly above the $3.80 consensus and up from $3.49 a year earlier. Organic revenue growth reached 5%, while operating margins expanded and management reaffirmed its full-year guidance. Aon Q2 results and guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Growth in reinsurance and property-and-casualty businesses, combined with a record pace of share repurchases, strengthened the company’s capital-return story. Aon also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share. Aon buyback and Q2 growth
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $435 from $420 with a Buy rating, and Wells Fargo increased its target to $419 from $406 with an Overweight rating, signaling continued confidence in Aon’s longer-term earnings outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue rose 2.2% year over year to $4.25 billion but missed the $4.28 billion estimate. Higher expenses and lower interest income limited the benefit from organic growth and acquisitions, leaving investors focused on whether revenue growth can accelerate.
• Neutral Sentiment: Aon said severe weather across the U.S. Midwest—including wind, hail and tornadoes—could rank among the top 10 costliest severe-weather events. The company also expects losses from the July Japan earthquake to be below those from the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake; these developments highlight insurance-market activity but have limited direct earnings impact for Aon.
• Negative Sentiment: General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,900 shares for approximately $718,000, following additional sales earlier in July. Although he retains a sizable position, the repeated insider selling may weigh modestly on sentiment. Aon insider sale
• Negative Sentiment: WTW reported faster growth in its broking arm than Aon, Marsh and Gallagher, underscoring competitive pressure in Aon’s core brokerage market. WTW broking growth comparison

AON Stock Down 1.6%

AON stock opened at $360.71 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $341.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $332.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. Aon plc has a 1-year low of $304.59 and a 1-year high of $382.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.71.

AON (NYSE:AON) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.80 by $0.01. AON had a return on equity of 42.13% and a net margin of 22.27%.The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.49 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Aon plc will post 19.09 earnings per share for the current year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Monday, August 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. AON’s dividend payout ratio is 18.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AON news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,950 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $372.05, for a total value of $725,497.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 13,404 shares in the company, valued at $4,986,958.20. This trade represents a 12.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,450 shares of company stock valued at $1,659,242. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on AON shares. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on AON from $377.00 to $391.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AON in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Roth Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $420.00 price target on shares of AON in a research note on Friday. Mizuho lifted their price objective on AON from $389.00 to $426.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on AON from $404.00 to $400.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AON currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $409.06.

About AON

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.