13,100 Shares in Aon plc $AON Bought by Comgest Global Investors S.A.S.

Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. purchased a new stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 13,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,671,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in AON by 100.0% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 70 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of AON in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in shares of AON in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AON during the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at AON

In related news, Director Lester B. Knight purchased 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, the director directly owned 143,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,651,320. This trade represents a 2.88% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

AON Stock Down 0.8%

AON stock opened at $323.32 on Thursday. Aon plc has a one year low of $304.59 and a one year 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $343.02 and a 200-day moving average of $351.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.27 billion, a PE ratio of 19.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.83.

AON (NYSE:AON) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.75 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $4.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. AON had a net margin of 21.51% and a return on equity of 45.23%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.42 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Aon plc will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

AON Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 (DPR) is 17.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AON has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $385.00 price objective on shares of AON in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup boosted their price objective on AON from $402.00 to $412.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Barclays raised their target price on shares of AON from $379.00 to $381.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $400.00 price target on shares of AON in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $408.00 price objective on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Twelve investment 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, AON has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $409.75.

AON 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.