Dakota Wealth Management Lowers Stock Holdings in Aon plc $AON

Dakota Wealth Management lessened its holdings in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 51.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,866 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,948 shares during the quarter. Dakota Wealth Management’s holdings in AON were worth $665,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AON. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in AON by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 70 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in AON in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in AON during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AON in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AON Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE AON opened at $330.09 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.03. Aon plc has a 1 year low of $304.59 and a 1 year high of $412.97. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $339.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $349.55. The firm has a market cap of $70.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.39, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.83.

AON (NYSE:AON) last posted 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. The company 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%.AON’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 earned $4.42 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Aon plc will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were paid 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 is 17.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AON

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on AON from $393.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $408.00 price objective on shares of AON in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $385.00 target price on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $400.00 price objective on shares of AON in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $409.75.

About AON

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.