Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $408.4706.

Several equities analysts have commented on AON shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on AON from $433.00 to $406.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of AON from $400.00 to $390.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 price target on shares of AON in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on shares of AON from $450.00 to $393.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th.

AON Stock Up 2.9%

Shares of NYSE AON opened at $342.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.35. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $347.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $353.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.84. AON has a 1 year low of $323.73 and a 1 year high of $412.97.

AON (NYSE:AON) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The financial services provider reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.14. AON had a return on equity of 48.88% and a net margin of 15.96%.The business had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.72 earnings per share. AON’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AON will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be paid a $0.745 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $2.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. AON’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.88%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AON

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in AON by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 70 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in shares of AON in the third quarter worth $25,000. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AON during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in AON in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AON in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.