Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Aon plc (NYSE:AON) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $397.4706.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Roth Capital set a $380.00 price target on shares of AON in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of AON from $380.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of AON from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, September 6th. Mizuho cut their price target on AON from $398.00 to $366.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on AON from $445.00 to $433.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st.

AON Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE AON opened at $295.75 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.74 billion, a PE ratio of 16.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.66. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $344.81 and its 200 day moving average is $332.89. AON has a twelve month low of $293.00 and a twelve month high of $382.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34.

AON (NYSE:AON) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.80 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.28 billion. AON had a return on equity of 42.13% and a net margin of 22.27%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.49 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that AON will post 18.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. AON’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.08%.

Insider Transactions at AON

In other AON news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,950 shares of AON stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 17th. The shares were 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 directly owned 13,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,986,958.20. The trade was a 12.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Lester B. Knight bought 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $327.48 per share, for a total transaction of $6,549,600.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 163,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,379,240. This represents a 13.99% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,450 shares of company stock worth $1,659,242. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AON

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in AON in the fourth quarter worth about $1,155,981,000. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in shares of AON by 396.0% in the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 546,204 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $192,756,000 after buying an additional 436,093 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in AON by 74.7% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 797,418 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $257,391,000 after buying an additional 340,866 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in AON by 1,864.5% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 343,754 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $121,304,000 after buying an additional 326,256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in AON by 136.1% in the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 547,850 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $176,835,000 after acquiring an additional 315,817 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 helps organizations manage risk, support workforce strategies and make informed decisions. Its principal activities include commercial risk brokerage, insurance and reinsurance consulting, retirement and investment advisory services, health and benefits consulting, and data- and analytics-based business solutions.

Aon serves businesses, governments, institutional investors and individuals across a broad range of industries and geographies.