Aon plc $AON Shares Sold by Wesbanco Bank Inc.

Wesbanco Bank Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 87.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,078 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 13,952 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc.’s holdings in AON were worth $671,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AON. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in AON during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in AON during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AON in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. 86.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AON has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of AON from $381.00 to $372.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of AON from $380.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of AON from $416.00 to $401.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AON in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on AON from $394.00 to $389.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $394.94.

AON Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of AON opened at $328.40 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $322.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $330.79. Aon plc has a 12-month low of $304.59 and a 12-month high of $381.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The firm has a market cap of $70.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.71.

AON (NYSE:AON) last announced its earnings results on Saturday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $6.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.37 by $0.11. AON had a net margin of 22.54% and a return on equity of 43.50%. The company had revenue of $5.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.67 earnings per share. AON’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Aon plc will post 19.09 earnings per share for the current year.

AON Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were given a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This is an increase from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. AON’s dividend payout ratio is 18.00%.

About AON

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.