Avanza Fonder AB Purchases 1,825 Shares of Aon plc $AON

Avanza Fonder AB increased its position in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 10.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,957 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,825 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder AB’s holdings in AON were worth $6,690,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in AON by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,229,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,291,048,000 after purchasing an additional 105,154 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in AON by 5.9% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,715,346 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,324,818,000 after acquiring an additional 207,690 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox purchased a new position in AON during the third quarter valued at $1,235,437,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased its holdings in AON by 12.0% in the 3rd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 2,330,363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $830,945,000 after acquiring an additional 249,549 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farallon Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in AON by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,278,017 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $812,295,000 after purchasing an additional 291,600 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AON shares. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on AON from $393.00 to $412.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $436.00 price target on shares of AON in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Barclays raised their price target on AON from $379.00 to $381.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $400.00 price objective on AON in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $408.00 target price on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $408.94.

AON Stock Performance

Shares of AON stock opened at $326.04 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $331.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $344.25. Aon plc has a 52 week low of $304.59 and a 52 week high of $402.49. The company has a market capitalization of $69.86 billion, a PE ratio of 19.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.82.

AON (NYSE:AON) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.75 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $4.30 billion during 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.42 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Aon plc will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $0.745 dividend. This represents a $2.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. AON’s payout ratio is 17.51%.

Insider Transactions at AON

In related news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of the business’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 value of $1,641,981.60. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 20,254 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,598,550.66. The trade was a 19.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Lester B. Knight acquired 4,000 shares of AON stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $319.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,276,960.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 143,000 shares in the company, valued at $45,651,320. This trade represents a 2.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.