Aon plc $AON Shares Bought by Fiera Capital Corp

Fiera Capital Corp grew its holdings in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 549,334 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,530 shares during the quarter. Fiera Capital Corp owned approximately 0.26% of AON worth $195,882,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its position in AON by 100.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AON in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in AON in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AON in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.79, for a total transaction of $1,641,981.60. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 20,254 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,598,550.66. This trade represents a 19.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Lester B. Knight purchased 4,000 shares of AON stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $319.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,276,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 143,000 shares in the company, valued at $45,651,320. This represents a 2.88% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

AON Stock Up 0.4%

AON opened at $324.20 on Friday. Aon plc has a 1 year low of $304.59 and a 1 year high of $412.97. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $342.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $350.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 2.03. The company has a market cap of $69.46 billion, a PE ratio of 19.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.83.

AON (NYSE:AON) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.75 by $0.10. AON had a net margin of 21.51% and a return on equity of 45.23%. The company had revenue of $4.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.42 earnings per share. AON’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Aon plc will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a $0.745 dividend. This represents a $2.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 2nd. AON’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of AON from $433.00 to $406.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on AON from $410.00 to $416.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $385.00 price target on shares of AON in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on AON from $379.00 to $381.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $395.00 target price on AON in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $409.75.

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.