Aon plc $AON Shares Bought by Gotham Asset Management LLC

Gotham Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 138.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 82,600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 47,900 shares during the quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC’s holdings in AON were worth $29,454,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in AON by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,289,743 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,238,569,000 after purchasing an additional 511,292 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of AON by 5.9% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,715,346 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,324,818,000 after buying an additional 207,690 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox acquired a new stake in shares of AON in the third quarter valued at about $1,235,437,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of AON by 12.0% in the third quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 2,330,363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $830,945,000 after buying an additional 249,549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farallon Capital Management LLC boosted its position in AON by 14.7% during the third quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,278,017 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $812,295,000 after acquiring an additional 291,600 shares during the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.79, for a total value of $1,641,981.60. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 20,254 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,598,550.66. This represents a 19.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lester B. Knight bought 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $319.24 per share, with a total value of $1,276,960.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 143,000 shares in the company, valued at $45,651,320. The trade was a 2.88% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

AON Trading Up 1.6%

AON opened at $326.65 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $334.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $345.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.99 billion, a PE ratio of 19.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.82. Aon plc has a one year low of $304.59 and a one year high of $402.49.

AON (NYSE:AON) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.75 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $4.30 billion for 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 for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.42 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Aon plc will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

AON Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were given a $0.745 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $2.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. AON’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of AON in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $400.00 price target on AON in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on AON from $393.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays upped their target price on AON from $379.00 to $381.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $395.00 price target on AON in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AON presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $408.94.

AON 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.