Aon plc $AON Shares Acquired by Cryder Capital Partners LLP

Cryder Capital Partners LLP increased its holdings in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 27.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 295,151 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 63,837 shares during the quarter. AON makes up about 6.2% of Cryder Capital Partners LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Cryder Capital Partners LLP’s holdings in AON were worth $104,153,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. acquired a new position in AON during the fourth quarter worth $4,305,000. Callan Family Office LLC raised its position in AON by 220.7% during the third quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 11,675 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,163,000 after acquiring an additional 8,034 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in AON during the third quarter worth $1,752,000. Veritas Asset Management LLP raised its position in AON by 19.3% during the third quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 2,053,673 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $732,299,000 after acquiring an additional 332,685 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC raised its position in AON by 64.9% during the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 19,092 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,808,000 after acquiring an additional 7,512 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AON has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of AON from $402.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Mizuho reduced their target price on AON from $394.00 to $389.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $436.00 target price on shares of AON in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Bank of America upgraded AON from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $398.00 to $397.00 in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on AON from $416.00 to $401.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $397.88.

Insider Transactions at AON

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

AON Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AON opened at $314.52 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $325.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $336.84. Aon plc has a 12-month low of $304.59 and a 12-month high of $381.00. The firm has a market cap of $67.17 billion, a PE ratio of 17.26, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36.

AON (NYSE:AON) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $6.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.37 by $0.11. AON had a net margin of 22.54% and a return on equity of 43.50%. The firm had revenue of $5.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.67 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Aon plc will post 19.02 earnings per share for the current year.

AON Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st will be paid a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. AON’s payout ratio is presently 16.36%.

AON 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.