Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for AON (NYSE:AON) Stock

AON (NYSE:AON) had its price target increased by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $406.00 to $419.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 16.16% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on AON. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on AON from $396.00 to $412.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of AON from $370.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of AON from $389.00 to $426.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of AON from $404.00 to $400.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of AON from $377.00 to $391.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $409.06.

AON Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AON opened at $360.71 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.71. The business has a 50-day moving average of $341.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $332.07. AON has a fifty-two week low of $304.59 and a fifty-two week high of $382.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.95.

AON (NYSE:AON) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.80 by $0.01. AON had a return on equity of 42.13% and a net margin of 22.27%.The business had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that AON will post 19.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.76, for a total value of $717,744.00. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 11,504 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,345,751.04. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 4,450 shares of company stock valued at $1,659,242 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AON

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in AON by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 68,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $22,623,000 after purchasing an additional 1,293 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of AON during the second quarter valued at about $384,000. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AON by 0.7% in the second quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 7,524 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,496,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC grew its position in AON by 392.3% during the second quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,207,000 after buying an additional 2,899 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in AON by 25.2% during the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $382,000 after buying an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about AON

Here are the key news stories impacting AON this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aon reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $3.81 per share, narrowly above the $3.80 consensus and up from $3.49 a year earlier. Organic revenue growth reached 5%, while operating margins expanded and management reaffirmed its full-year guidance. Aon Q2 results and guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Growth in reinsurance and property-and-casualty businesses, combined with a record pace of share repurchases, strengthened the company’s capital-return story. Aon also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share. Aon buyback and Q2 growth
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $435 from $420 with a Buy rating, and Wells Fargo increased its target to $419 from $406 with an Overweight rating, signaling continued confidence in Aon’s longer-term earnings outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue rose 2.2% year over year to $4.25 billion but missed the $4.28 billion estimate. Higher expenses and lower interest income limited the benefit from organic growth and acquisitions, leaving investors focused on whether revenue growth can accelerate.
• Neutral Sentiment: Aon said severe weather across the U.S. Midwest—including wind, hail and tornadoes—could rank among the top 10 costliest severe-weather events. The company also expects losses from the July Japan earthquake to be below those from the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake; these developments highlight insurance-market activity but have limited direct earnings impact for Aon.
• Negative Sentiment: General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,900 shares for approximately $718,000, following additional sales earlier in July. Although he retains a sizable position, the repeated insider selling may weigh modestly on sentiment. Aon insider sale
• Negative Sentiment: WTW reported faster growth in its broking arm than Aon, Marsh and Gallagher, underscoring competitive pressure in Aon’s core brokerage market. WTW broking growth comparison

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.