Brokerages Set Aon plc (NYSE:AON) PT at $396.81

Shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $396.8125.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America raised AON from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $398.00 to $397.00 in a research note on Friday, February 27th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of AON in a report on Monday, March 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AON in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Citigroup raised their price objective on AON from $412.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on AON from $443.00 to $402.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AON

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its holdings in 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 worth $683,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC boosted its position in AON by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 1,582 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $558,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. City National Bank of Florida MSD boosted its position in 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 valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp boosted its position in AON by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 620 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in AON by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,882 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $664,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AON Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:AON opened at $325.89 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $321.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $332.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. AON has a 12-month low of $304.59 and a 12-month high of $381.00. The firm has a market cap of $69.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.89, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.71.

AON (NYSE:AON) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $6.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.37 by $0.11. AON had a return on equity of 43.50% and a net margin of 22.54%.The firm had revenue of $5.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.97 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.67 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that AON will post 19.1 EPS for the current year.

AON Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. AON’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.36%.

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.