Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Aon plc (NYSE:AON) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seventeen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $404.5625.

AON has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of AON from $370.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of AON from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $355.00 to $377.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of AON from $404.00 to $400.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup increased their price target on AON from $412.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on AON from $396.00 to $412.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th.

AON Trading Up 0.9%

AON stock opened at $355.50 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $335.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $331.17. The company has a market capitalization of $75.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.71. AON has a 52 week low of $304.59 and a 52 week high of $381.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36.

AON (NYSE:AON) last issued its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.67 EPS. AON’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AON will post 19.09 EPS for the current year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors 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 yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 3rd. AON’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.00%.

Insider Transactions at AON

In other AON news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.00, for a total value of $216,000.00. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 15,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,527,440. This represents a 3.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AON

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AON. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in AON in the third quarter valued at $25,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of AON during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AON during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AON in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.