Ninety One UK Ltd Has $48.78 Million Stock Holdings in Aon plc $AON

Ninety One UK Ltd grew its holdings in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 21.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 138,223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,161 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd’s holdings in AON were worth $48,776,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AON. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of AON by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 70 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

AON Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE AON opened at $331.89 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.11 billion, a PE ratio of 19.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Aon plc has a 1 year low of $304.59 and a 1 year high of $381.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $324.39 and its 200-day moving average is $339.78.

AON (NYSE:AON) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.75 by $0.10. AON had a net margin of 21.51% and a return on equity of 45.23%. The company had revenue of $4.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.42 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Aon plc will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

AON Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. This is a positive change from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. AON’s payout ratio is 17.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $408.00 target price on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of AON from $406.00 to $396.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of AON in a report on Monday, December 29th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $436.00 price objective on shares of AON in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of AON from $381.00 to $372.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AON has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.81.

Insider Activity at AON

In other news, Director Lester B. Knight acquired 4,000 shares of AON stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $319.24 per share, with a total value of $1,276,960.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 143,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,651,320. The trade was a 2.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.79, for a total transaction of $1,641,981.60. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 20,254 shares in the company, valued at $6,598,550.66. This trade represents a 19.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AON Company Profile

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.