Capital International Inc. CA Purchases 12,886 Shares of Aon plc $AON

Capital International Inc. CA raised its holdings in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 96,236 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,886 shares during the period. Capital International Inc. CA’s holdings in AON were worth $34,316,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AON. Matrix Trust Co lifted its stake in AON by 7.1% during the third quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $150,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Busey Bank boosted its stake in AON by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Busey Bank now owns 9,565 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,411,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Westpac Banking Corp raised its stake in AON by 5.6% during the third quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 620 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $221,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of AON by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC now owns 615 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $219,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KCM Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AON by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 636 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Lester B. Knight acquired 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $319.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,276,960.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 143,000 shares in the company, valued at $45,651,320. This represents a 2.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.79, for a total transaction of $1,641,981.60. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 20,254 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,598,550.66. This represents a 19.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on AON shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup increased their target price on AON from $402.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on AON from $448.00 to $443.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Sunday, February 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of AON from $433.00 to $406.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of AON from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $397.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $408.94.

AON Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of NYSE AON opened at $333.08 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $337.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $347.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.03. The stock has a market cap of $71.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.82. Aon plc has a 52-week low of $304.59 and a 52-week high of $407.07.

AON (NYSE:AON) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. AON had a net margin of 21.51% and a return on equity of 45.23%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.42 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Aon plc will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were paid a $0.745 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 currently 17.51%.

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.