Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $2.43 Million Stock Holdings in Aon plc $AON

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. reduced its holdings in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 97.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,893 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 251,761 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in AON were worth $2,432,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Matrix Trust Co lifted its stake in AON by 7.1% in the third quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $150,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of AON by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $683,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Busey Bank raised its holdings in shares of AON by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Busey Bank now owns 9,565 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,411,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Westpac Banking Corp lifted its position in shares of AON by 5.6% in the third quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 620 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $221,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of AON by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC now owns 615 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $219,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

AON Stock Performance

AON opened at $323.77 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 50 day moving average price is $328.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $342.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.82. Aon plc has a 12-month low of $304.59 and a 12-month high of $401.03.

AON (NYSE:AON) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.75 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $4.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. AON had a return on equity of 45.23% and a net margin of 21.51%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.42 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were issued a $0.745 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $2.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. AON’s dividend payout ratio is 17.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AON

In related news, Director Lester B. Knight acquired 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $319.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,276,960.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 143,000 shares in the company, valued at $45,651,320. This trade represents a 2.88% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $6,598,550.66. This represents a 19.93% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AON shares. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $395.00 price objective on AON in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on AON from $410.00 to $416.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of AON from $402.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $400.00 price objective on shares of AON in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AON presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $406.69.

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.