Aon plc $AON Shares Acquired by Ameriprise Financial Inc.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,181,744 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 121,116 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 0.55% of AON worth $421,389,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AON by 100.0% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 70 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in shares of AON in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AON in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in AON during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in AON in the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AON shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $408.00 price target on shares of AON in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays raised their target price on AON from $379.00 to $381.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on AON from $448.00 to $443.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Sunday, February 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $395.00 price target on AON in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of AON from $402.00 to $412.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $408.94.

AON Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AON opened at $321.39 on Monday. Aon plc has a 1 year low of $304.59 and a 1 year high of $402.49. The firm has a market cap of $68.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.88, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.82. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $334.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $346.26. 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 (NYSE:AON) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.42 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Aon plc will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were given a dividend of $0.745 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $2.98 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. AON’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.51%.

Insider Activity at AON

In related news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 20,254 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,598,550.66. This trade represents a 19.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Lester B. Knight purchased 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $319.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,276,960.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 143,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,651,320. The trade was a 2.88% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.10% 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.