Carderock Capital Management Inc. Purchases 1,973 Shares of Aon plc $AON

Carderock Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 9.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,559 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,973 shares during the quarter. AON comprises 1.7% of Carderock Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Carderock Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in AON were worth $7,814,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AON. Flower City Capital bought a new position in shares of AON in the second quarter worth $203,000. Pacific Excel Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in AON during the second quarter valued at $212,000. Anderson Hoagland & Co. grew its position in AON by 10.4% during the second quarter. Anderson Hoagland & Co. now owns 10,927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,624,000 after buying an additional 1,033 shares in the last quarter. RDA Financial Network increased its stake in AON by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. RDA Financial Network now owns 1,451 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $481,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of AON by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AON has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price objective on AON from $372.00 to $382.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $420.00 target price on shares of AON in a research note on Friday. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of AON from $383.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of AON from $416.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of AON from $400.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $410.75.

Insider Transactions at AON

In other AON news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.76, for a total transaction of $717,744.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 11,504 shares in the company, valued at $4,345,751.04. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 4,450 shares of company stock worth $1,659,242 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

AON News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AON this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target on AON from $400 to $412 and upgraded the stock to “outperform,” implying significant potential upside from the current valuation. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raises Aon price target
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho also lifted its target, increasing it from $426 to $437 while maintaining an “outperform” rating. The revisions indicate analysts see further earnings or valuation upside. Mizuho raises Aon price target
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reportedly added AON to its August conviction list, potentially supporting investor interest in the shares. Goldman Sachs conviction list
• Positive Sentiment: Aon launched Future DB, a solution designed to help defined-benefit pension schemes streamline their endgame strategies. The offering could deepen relationships with retirement-plan clients and generate additional consulting revenue. Aon launches Future DB
• Neutral Sentiment: Aon appointed Stephen as CEO of its Indonesia business and promoted Murray to global chief commercial officer for captive and insurance management. The moves may strengthen regional execution and specialty-insurance growth, but their near-term financial impact is unclear. Aon appoints Indonesia CEO
• Neutral Sentiment: One analyst projected FY2028 EPS of $23, above the current-year consensus estimate of $19.09, although the differing forecast periods make the comparison imperfect. Aon’s latest quarter narrowly beat EPS expectations but missed revenue estimates, which may help explain the stock’s softer performance despite constructive long-term commentary.

AON Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE AON opened at $356.69 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.66, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.69. Aon plc has a one year low of $304.59 and a one year high of $382.34. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $342.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $332.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.54.

AON (NYSE:AON) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.49 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Aon plc will post 19.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 3rd will be paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. 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.