Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $334.69.

A number of research firms have recently commented on AON. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on AON from $318.00 to $353.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of AON from $294.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of AON from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of AON from $306.00 to $326.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of AON from $342.00 to $325.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 5th.

AON Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AON opened at $285.88 on Friday. AON has a 1 year low of $268.06 and a 1 year high of $347.37. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $317.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $314.14. The company has a market capitalization of $56.75 billion, a PE ratio of 22.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.86.

AON (NYSE:AON) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The financial services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.07 by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $3.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.36 billion. AON had a net margin of 19.17% and a negative return on equity of 1,150.40%. AON’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.89 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that AON will post 15.82 EPS for the current year.

AON Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.675 per share. This is a boost from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 30th. AON’s payout ratio is currently 19.71%.

Insider Activity at AON

In other AON news, insider Michael Neller sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $312.00, for a total value of $234,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,207,128. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other AON news, insider Michael Neller sold 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.00, for a total value of $234,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,207,128. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Lester B. Knight purchased 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $301.97 per share, with a total value of $15,098,500.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 134,000 shares in the company, valued at $40,463,980. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 74,532 shares of company stock valued at $23,335,805. 1.15% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AON

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AON during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AON in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of AON in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

About AON

Aon plc, a professional services firm, provides a range of risk and human capital solutions worldwide. It offers commercial risk solutions, including retail brokerage, specialty solutions, global risk consulting and captives management, and affinity programs; and health solutions, such as health and benefits brokerages, and health care exchanges.