Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Aon plc (NYSE:AON) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the eleven analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $334.69.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on AON shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on AON from $318.00 to $353.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on AON from $306.00 to $326.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on AON from $342.00 to $325.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 5th. UBS Group lowered their target price on AON from $333.00 to $308.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on AON from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th.

Insider Activity at AON

In other news, Director Lester B. Knight purchased 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $301.97 per share, for a total transaction of $15,098,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 134,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,463,980. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Lester B. Knight bought 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $301.97 per share, for a total transaction of $15,098,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 134,000 shares in the company, valued at $40,463,980. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Christa Davies sold 20,618 shares of AON stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $311.40, for a total value of $6,420,445.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 159,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,690,098. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 74,532 shares of company stock valued at $23,335,805. 1.15% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AON

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AON. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in AON during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AON during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AON during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AON during the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in AON during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AON Price Performance

AON stock opened at $308.83 on Friday. AON has a one year low of $284.85 and a one year high of $347.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.31 billion, a PE ratio of 24.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.86. The business’s fifty day moving average is $317.78 and its 200 day moving average is $314.49.

AON (NYSE:AON) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The financial services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.07 by ($0.18). AON had a net margin of 19.17% and a negative return on equity of 1,150.40%. The business had revenue of $3.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.36 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.89 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AON will post 15.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.675 per share. This represents a $2.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 30th. This is an increase from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. AON’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.71%.

AON Company Profile

Aon plc, a professional services firm, provides a range of risk and human capital solutions worldwide. It offers commercial risk solutions, including retail brokerage, specialty solutions, global risk consulting and captives management, and affinity programs; and health solutions, such as health and benefits brokerages, and health care exchanges.