Insider Selling: AON (NYSE:AON) General Counsel Sells $1,641,981.60 in Stock

Aon plc (NYSE:AON) 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 value 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. This represents a 19.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

AON Price Performance

Shares of AON stock opened at $325.14 on Friday. Aon plc has a fifty-two week low of $304.59 and a fifty-two week high of $412.97. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $69.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.10, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.83. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $341.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $350.63.

AON (NYSE:AON) last released its 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. 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 analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.42 EPS. AON’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Aon plc will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on AON. Mizuho set a $398.00 price target on AON in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on AON from $410.00 to $416.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of AON from $419.00 to $416.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $395.00 price target on shares of AON in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $400.00 price objective on shares of AON in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $409.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AON

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Matrix Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of AON by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $150,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its position in AON by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $683,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in AON by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 1,582 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $558,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. City National Bank of Florida MSD boosted its stake in shares of AON by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. City National Bank of Florida MSD now owns 867 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $306,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Busey Bank grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.