Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Aon plc (NYSE:AON) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $408.9412.

A number of research firms have weighed in on AON. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of AON from $379.00 to $381.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $408.00 price target on shares of AON in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 price objective on shares of AON in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $385.00 target price on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $400.00 price target on AON in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th.

AON Stock Up 1.0%

AON stock opened at $338.69 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $72.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $338.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $348.86. AON has a 1-year low of $304.59 and a 1-year high of $412.97.

AON (NYSE:AON) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.75 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $4.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. AON had a return on equity of 45.23% and a net margin of 21.51%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.42 EPS. Analysts expect that AON will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

AON Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at AON

In other news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of the business’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 sale, the general counsel owned 20,254 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,598,550.66. The trade was a 19.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Lester B. Knight acquired 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $319.24 per share, with a total value of $1,276,960.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 143,000 shares in the company, valued at $45,651,320. This trade represents a 2.88% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AON

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Matrix Trust Co grew its stake in shares of AON by 7.1% in the third quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $150,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in AON by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $683,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its stake in AON by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 1,582 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $558,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. City National Bank of Florida MSD raised its position in AON by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. City National Bank of Florida MSD now owns 867 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in shares of AON by 39.3% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 117 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.