Aon plc $AON Shares Acquired by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 0.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 591,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,900 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.28% of AON worth $210,846,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AON. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its position in AON by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 70 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AON during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in AON in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AON in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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

AON Trading Down 2.2%

AON stock opened at $333.08 on Tuesday. Aon plc has a 12-month low of $304.59 and a 12-month high of $407.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.03 and a quick ratio of 2.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.37 billion, a PE ratio of 19.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.82. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $337.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $347.72.

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

AON Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 2nd were given a $0.745 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $2.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. AON’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on AON. Barclays upped their target price on shares of AON from $379.00 to $381.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $436.00 price objective on shares of AON in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $408.00 price objective on shares of AON in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Mizuho raised AON from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $397.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on AON from $433.00 to $406.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AON presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $408.94.

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.