World Investment Advisors Purchases 7,390 Shares of Aon plc $AON

World Investment Advisors grew its position in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 226.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,654 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,390 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in AON were worth $3,439,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AON. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in AON during the third quarter worth about $25,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of AON in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AON during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AON during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AON during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

AON Stock Performance

NYSE:AON opened at $356.89 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $76.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.71. The business has a 50 day moving average of $323.63 and a 200 day moving average of $330.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.95. Aon plc has a 1-year low of $304.59 and a 1-year high of $381.00.

AON (NYSE:AON) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $6.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.37 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $5.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.97 billion. AON had a net margin of 22.54% and a return on equity of 43.50%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.67 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Aon plc will post 19.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. This is an increase from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. AON’s payout ratio is 18.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AON. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AON in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of AON from $443.00 to $402.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of AON from $394.00 to $389.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of AON from $381.00 to $372.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of AON from $385.00 to $360.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AON presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $394.94.

About AON

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.