Saudi Central Bank Acquires 6,711 Shares of Aon plc $AON

Saudi Central Bank lifted its stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 89.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 14,248 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,711 shares during the quarter. Saudi Central Bank’s holdings in AON were worth $4,726,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AON. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in AON by 28.4% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 14,704 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,246,000 after purchasing an additional 3,253 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in AON by 9.1% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 98,084 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,992,000 after buying an additional 8,216 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in shares of AON by 35.2% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 292,210 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $104,249,000 after purchasing an additional 76,061 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of AON by 27.1% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,734 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $995,000 after buying an additional 583 shares during the period. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its holdings in AON by 46.1% during the second quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 40,044 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,286,000 after purchasing an additional 12,631 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on AON shares. Roth Capital set a $380.00 price objective on AON in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of AON from $412.00 to $417.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AON in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Barclays upped their target price on shares of AON from $372.00 to $382.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of AON in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AON currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $399.12.

Insider Activity at AON

In other news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,950 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $372.05, for a total transaction of $725,497.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 13,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,986,958.20. This trade represents a 12.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Lester Knight acquired 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $327.48 per share, for a total transaction of $6,549,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 163,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,379,240. This trade represents a 13.99% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,450 shares of company stock valued at $1,659,242. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about AON

Here are the key news stories impacting AON this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aon director Lester Knight purchased 20,000 shares for approximately $6.55 million, increasing his direct holdings by nearly 14%. The sizable insider purchase may signal confidence that the recent weakness has created attractive value. Aon director stock purchase filing
• Positive Sentiment: Aon executives highlighted strong demand for insurance-linked securities and expect continued growth through year-end and into 2027. A more flexible reinsurance market, supported by approximately $800 billion of capital, could increase transaction activity and benefit Aon’s brokerage and advisory operations. Strong ILS demand and continued growth expected
• Positive Sentiment: The company urged insurers to use record reinsurance capacity and third-party capital to support growth, reinforcing the potential for expanding demand for Aon’s capital-markets and risk-transfer services. Aon urges insurers to use reinsurance and third-party capital
• Positive Sentiment: Aon launched a defined-benefit pension “run-on” solution aimed at smaller schemes, broadening its retirement-services offering and potentially creating additional recurring consulting revenue. Aon launches run-on solution
• Neutral Sentiment: Chief Executive Greg Case will speak at the KBW Insurance Conference on September 10, giving investors a potential catalyst for updates on the USI transaction, organic growth and capital allocation. Aon to speak at the KBW Insurance Conference
• Negative Sentiment: Analysis of Aon’s planned $17 billion USI acquisition questioned whether roughly $395 million in expected synergies will adequately offset the risks of another debt-funded megadeal. Leverage and integration concerns may be weighing on valuation. Analysis of Aon’s USI acquisition
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho lowered its price target while maintaining an outperform rating, adding near-term pressure amid broader uncertainty over valuation and the acquisition’s financing. This caution contrasts with the more bullish view from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. Mizuho forecast for AON

AON Stock Performance

NYSE:AON opened at $322.57 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $68.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.78, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 1.54. Aon plc has a fifty-two week low of $304.59 and a fifty-two week high of $382.34. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $353.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $334.24.

AON (NYSE:AON) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.80 by $0.01. AON had a net margin of 22.27% and a return on equity of 42.13%. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.49 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Aon plc will post 18.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Monday, August 3rd were given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. AON’s payout ratio is currently 18.08%.

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.