Aon plc $AON Stock: Salem Investment Counselors Inc. Grows Position

Salem Investment Counselors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 638.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,639 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,875 shares during the period. Salem Investment Counselors Inc.’s holdings in AON were worth $1,561,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AON. Independent Franchise Partners LLP increased its stake in shares of AON by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 2,115,523 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $746,526,000 after acquiring an additional 19,037 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of AON by 16.3% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,582,680 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $510,857,000 after acquiring an additional 222,092 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of AON by 23.5% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 1,502,890 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $485,103,000 after acquiring an additional 285,549 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in AON by 20.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,253,769 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $404,709,000 after purchasing an additional 213,051 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted 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 purchasing an additional 340,866 shares during the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More AON News

Here are the key news stories impacting AON this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aon and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development expanded their Ukraine Recovery and Reconstruction Guarantee Facility from €110 million to €150 million. The program has supported more than €500 million in reinsurance coverage across nearly 10,000 policies, and the addition of insurers UNIVERSALNA and USG broadens its reach. The move strengthens Aon’s role in Ukraine’s insurance-market development, although its near-term earnings impact is likely limited. Aon and EBRD expand war risk insurance facility
• Neutral Sentiment: Aon appointed Leonora Siccardi as global chief execution officer for its Risk Capital and Human Capital businesses. The newly emphasized execution role could support operational coordination and growth, but investors are unlikely to see an immediate financial effect. Aon appoints Leonora Siccardi
• Neutral Sentiment: Aon forecast Asia-Pacific medical-cost inflation at 9.7%, suggesting some moderation in regional cost growth. This may help clients manage benefits expenses and support demand for advisory services, but the development is not a major direct earnings catalyst. Aon projects Asia-Pacific medical-cost inflation
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst sentiment weakened as Keefe Bruyette cut its Aon price target to $342 from $417, Morgan Stanley set a $350 target, and Wells Fargo reduced its target to $323. Although all remain above the company’s recent trading range, the reductions signal lower valuation expectations and are the clearest near-term reason for pressure on AON. Keefe Bruyette cuts Aon target

Insider Transactions at AON

In other AON news, Director Lester Knight acquired 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $327.48 per share, for a total transaction of $6,549,600.00. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,950 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $4,986,958.20. This trade represents a 12.70% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AON shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on AON from $417.00 to $342.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen raised their price target on AON from $416.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Roth Capital set a $380.00 price objective on shares of AON and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of AON in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of AON from $391.00 to $349.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AON presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $367.59.

AON Price Performance

AON stock opened at $275.64 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $58.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.70. 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 plc has a 12-month low of $266.33 and a 12-month high of $382.34. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $313.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $326.52.

AON (NYSE:AON) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.81 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 analysts’ expectations 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.49 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Aon plc will post 18.74 earnings per share for the current year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 2nd will be issued a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 2nd. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. AON’s payout ratio is 18.08%.

About AON

Aon plc is a global professional services firm that helps organizations manage risk, make better decisions and improve performance. Its services are organized around risk capital and human capital, combining advisory expertise, data, analytics and insurance-related solutions.

The company provides commercial risk brokerage and consulting, reinsurance brokerage, retirement and investment advisory services, health benefits consulting, talent and compensation consulting, and related technology and data products.