AON (NYSE:AON) Upgraded at BMO Capital Markets

AON (NYSE:AON) was upgraded by analysts at BMO Capital Markets from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $380.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 13.86% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of AON from $375.00 to $401.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of AON from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of AON from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, September 6th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of AON from $382.00 to $317.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of AON from $366.00 to $324.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $369.12.

AON Trading Up 3.8%

Shares of NYSE AON opened at $333.74 on Tuesday. AON has a 12 month low of $266.33 and a 12 month high of $382.34. The company has a market cap of $70.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 4.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $301.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $326.03.

AON (NYSE:AON) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The financial services provider reported $3.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.30 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $4.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. AON had a return on equity of 40.46% and a net margin of 22.24%. AON’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.05 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that AON will post 18.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at AON

In other AON news, Director Lester Knight acquired 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was purchased 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. The trade was a 13.99% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AON

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in shares of AON by 5.3% during the second quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Aspen Grove Capital LLC grew its position in AON by 4.8% during the first quarter. Aspen Grove Capital LLC now owns 737 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $238,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Novem Group increased its stake in AON by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Novem Group now owns 3,460 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $958,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. KCM Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in AON by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 651 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $210,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, RDA Financial Network lifted its position in AON by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. RDA Financial Network now owns 1,451 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $481,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting AON

Here are the key news stories impacting AON this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James upgraded Aon to “Market Perform” from “Underperform,” removing a prior bearish stance and signaling that the stock’s risk/reward profile has improved. Raymond James upgrades Aon to market perform from underperform
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $364 from $323 and assigned an “Overweight” rating, while Cantor Fitzgerald lifted its target to $410 from $400 and maintained an “Overweight” rating. These calls imply meaningful upside and support investor confidence in Aon’s earnings and valuation. Wells Fargo analyst recommendation Cantor Fitzgerald analyst recommendation
• Positive Sentiment: Aon highlighted data centers and managing general agents (MGAs) as growth opportunities. These areas could expand demand for specialty insurance and risk-management services, providing potential longer-term revenue growth. Aon’s Hofmann: Data centers and MGAs offer new avenues for growth
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS lowered its price target to $356 from $387 and kept a “Neutral” rating. Although the revised target remains above the recent trading level, the cut indicates more limited upside in UBS’s view. UBS Group analyst recommendation
• Neutral Sentiment: Aon’s quarterly dividend reached its record date at $0.820 per share, reinforcing the company’s shareholder-return profile, though the payment is unlikely to materially change near-term earnings expectations. Aon quarterly dividend record date
• Negative Sentiment: European windstorms Austen and Boelo are expected to produce hundreds of millions of dollars in insured losses. While this is primarily an industry event rather than a direct loss for Aon, elevated catastrophe activity could pressure insurance-market capacity and sentiment. European windstorms insured losses

AON Company Profile

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.