Aon plc $AON Shares Acquired by Yousif Capital Management LLC

Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its position in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 913.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 223,911 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 201,811 shares during the quarter. AON accounts for approximately 0.7% of Yousif Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in AON were worth $61,972,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in AON by 5,225.7% during the 3rd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 194,070 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $53,713,000 after purchasing an additional 190,426 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC lifted its holdings in AON by 4,903.4% in the 2nd quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 29,470 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,775,000 after buying an additional 28,881 shares during the period. NBT Bank N.A. purchased a new stake in AON in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $10,117,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of AON by 136.1% in the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 547,850 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $176,835,000 after buying an additional 315,817 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of AON by 16.4% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 106,370 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,282,000 after buying an additional 14,996 shares during the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AON. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on AON from $410.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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, October 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of AON in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of AON from $298.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of AON from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, September 6th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AON presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $367.59.

AON Stock Down 1.1%

AON stock traded down $3.33 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $303.47. 1,108,593 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,711,159. Aon plc has a one year low of $266.33 and a one year high of $382.34. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $305.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $325.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The company has a market cap of $64.37 billion, a PE ratio of 16.73, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.70.

AON (NYSE:AON) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.80 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. AON had a return on equity of 42.13% and a net margin of 22.27%. The business’s 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 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Aon plc will post 18.73 EPS for the current year.

AON Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Monday, November 2nd will be paid a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 2nd. AON’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.08%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AON news, Director Lester B. Knight bought 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $327.48 per share, for a total transaction of $6,549,600.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 163,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,379,240. This represents a 13.99% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About AON

Aon plc is a global professional services firm that helps organizations manage risk, make informed decisions and improve workforce outcomes. Its services span commercial risk, health, retirement and investments, and data and analytics.

The company provides insurance brokerage and risk-management services, including coverage placement, claims support, risk transfer and consulting. Through its reinsurance business, Aon also serves insurers and other organizations seeking to manage catastrophe, capital and underwriting risks.

Aon’s human capital offerings include employee benefits consulting, retirement advisory services, talent and compensation consulting, and health and workforce solutions.