Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC Acquires 2,571 Shares of Aon plc $AON

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 65.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,505 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,571 shares during the quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in AON were worth $2,295,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AON. Dodge & Cox acquired a new stake in AON during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,235,437,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in AON during the 4th quarter valued at $1,155,981,000. Viking Global Investors LP acquired a new stake in AON during the 3rd quarter valued at $504,424,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in AON by 40,219.8% during the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 846,715 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $301,922,000 after purchasing an additional 844,615 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Franchise Partners LLP lifted its holdings in AON by 41.6% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 2,096,486 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $747,565,000 after purchasing an additional 615,570 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

AON Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE AON opened at $315.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a current ratio of 1.95. Aon plc has a 52 week low of $304.59 and a 52 week high of $381.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.32, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.72. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $321.71 and its 200 day moving average is $334.14.

AON (NYSE:AON) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $6.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.37 by $0.11. AON had a return on equity of 43.50% and a net margin of 22.54%.The company had revenue of $5.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.67 earnings per share. AON’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Aon plc will post 19.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were given a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This is an increase from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. AON’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AON has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on AON from $380.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $385.00 price target on shares of AON in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup raised their price target on AON from $412.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays dropped their target price on AON from $381.00 to $372.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on AON from $416.00 to $401.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $396.81.

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.