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

Aon plc (NYSE:AON) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $409.75.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on AON shares. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $385.00 target price on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $390.00 price objective on shares of AON in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on AON from $448.00 to $443.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Sunday, February 1st. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $436.00 price target on shares of AON in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on AON from $379.00 to $381.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th.

AON Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AON opened at $315.49 on Tuesday. AON has a 12-month low of $304.59 and a 12-month high of $412.97. The company has a market cap of $67.60 billion, a PE ratio of 18.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.83. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $341.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $350.19. The company has a current ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

AON (NYSE:AON) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.75 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $4.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. AON had a return on equity of 45.23% and a net margin of 21.51%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.42 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AON will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were issued a $0.745 dividend. This represents a $2.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. AON’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.51%.

Insider Activity at AON

In other AON news, Director Lester B. Knight bought 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $319.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,276,960.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 143,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,651,320. This trade represents a 2.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AON

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AON. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AON by 100.0% in 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 during the period. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in AON in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in AON during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AON during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AON in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

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.