First Trust Advisors LP reduced its position in Aon plc (NYSE:AON – Free Report) by 28.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 27,672 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 11,245 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in AON were worth $8,932,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of AON by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,171,049 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,117,960,000 after buying an additional 191,658 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in AON by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 12,252,904 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,323,850,000 after acquiring an additional 176,207 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in AON by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,229,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,291,048,000 after acquiring an additional 105,154 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox raised its position in AON by 126.6% during the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 7,852,456 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,770,975,000 after acquiring an additional 4,387,773 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AON by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,141,363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,810,726,000 after purchasing an additional 28,066 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
AON Stock Performance
NYSE:AON opened at $360.71 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.95. Aon plc has a 1-year low of $304.59 and a 1-year high of $382.34. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $341.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $332.07. The stock has a market cap of $77.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.88, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.71.
AON Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 3rd. AON’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.08%.
Key Headlines Impacting AON
Here are the key news stories impacting AON this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Aon reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $3.81 per share, narrowly above the $3.80 consensus and up from $3.49 a year earlier. Organic revenue growth reached 5%, while operating margins expanded and management reaffirmed its full-year guidance. Aon Q2 results and guidance
- Positive Sentiment: Growth in reinsurance and property-and-casualty businesses, combined with a record pace of share repurchases, strengthened the company’s capital-return story. Aon also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share. Aon buyback and Q2 growth
- Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $435 from $420 with a Buy rating, and Wells Fargo increased its target to $419 from $406 with an Overweight rating, signaling continued confidence in Aon’s longer-term earnings outlook.
- Neutral Sentiment: Revenue rose 2.2% year over year to $4.25 billion but missed the $4.28 billion estimate. Higher expenses and lower interest income limited the benefit from organic growth and acquisitions, leaving investors focused on whether revenue growth can accelerate.
- Neutral Sentiment: Aon said severe weather across the U.S. Midwest—including wind, hail and tornadoes—could rank among the top 10 costliest severe-weather events. The company also expects losses from the July Japan earthquake to be below those from the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake; these developments highlight insurance-market activity but have limited direct earnings impact for Aon.
- Negative Sentiment: General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,900 shares for approximately $718,000, following additional sales earlier in July. Although he retains a sizable position, the repeated insider selling may weigh modestly on sentiment. Aon insider sale
- Negative Sentiment: WTW reported faster growth in its broking arm than Aon, Marsh and Gallagher, underscoring competitive pressure in Aon’s core brokerage market. WTW broking growth comparison
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of AON from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on AON from $406.00 to $419.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Citigroup raised their price target on AON from $420.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Barclays boosted their price target on AON from $372.00 to $382.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on AON from $389.00 to $426.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AON presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $409.06.
Check Out Our Latest Report on AON
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.76, for a total value of $717,744.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 11,504 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,345,751.04. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 4,450 shares of company stock worth $1,659,242 in the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.
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.
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