Aon plc $AON Shares Purchased by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 271.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 290,264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 212,037 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.14% of AON worth $102,428,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AON during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its position in shares of AON by 39.3% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 117 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AON. Barclays lowered their price target on AON from $381.00 to $372.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on AON from $443.00 to $402.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on AON from $380.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Mizuho reduced their price objective on AON from $394.00 to $389.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on AON from $355.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $396.81.

AON Stock Performance

AON opened at $337.09 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $71.99 billion, a PE ratio of 18.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $322.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $332.74. Aon plc has a fifty-two week low of $304.59 and a fifty-two week high of $381.00.

AON (NYSE:AON) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $5.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.97 billion. AON had a return on equity of 43.50% and a net margin of 22.54%.The company’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.67 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Aon plc will post 19.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. AON’s payout ratio is 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.