Aon plc $AON Stock Purchased by Washington Trust Advisors Inc.

Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 444,364.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 275,568 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 275,506 shares during the quarter. AON comprises about 5.4% of Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s holdings in AON were worth $76,269,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in AON by 11,179.6% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 4,026,135 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,114,313,000 after purchasing an additional 3,990,441 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in AON by 16.3% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,582,680 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $510,857,000 after purchasing an additional 222,092 shares during the period. Amundi grew its stake in AON by 23.5% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 1,502,890 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $485,103,000 after buying an additional 285,549 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in AON by 20.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,253,769 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $404,709,000 after buying an additional 213,051 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in AON by 74.7% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 797,418 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $257,391,000 after buying an additional 340,866 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AON Price Performance

NYSE:AON traded down $3.33 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $303.47. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,108,593 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,711,159. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $305.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $325.24. The company has a market capitalization of $64.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.73, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.54. Aon plc has a twelve month low of $266.33 and a twelve month high of $382.34.

AON (NYSE:AON) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.80 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.28 billion. AON had a return on equity of 42.13% and a net margin of 22.27%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.49 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Aon plc will post 18.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 2nd. AON’s payout ratio is presently 18.08%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of AON from $387.00 to $383.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of AON from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of AON from $410.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on AON from $412.00 to $362.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AON presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $367.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.76, for a total value of $717,744.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 11,504 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,345,751.04. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lester B. Knight acquired 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $327.48 per share, for a total transaction of $6,549,600.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 163,000 shares in the company, valued at $53,379,240. This represents a 13.99% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.