Boston Partners Cuts Stake in Aon plc $AON

Boston Partners decreased its stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,635,007 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 76,243 shares during the period. Boston Partners owned approximately 0.76% of AON worth $576,317,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AON. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in AON in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AON in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in shares of AON by 39.3% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 117 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of AON from $394.00 to $389.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, March 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on AON from $406.00 to $396.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on AON from $416.00 to $401.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AON in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $396.81.

AON Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:AON opened at $335.51 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $71.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.41, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a current ratio of 1.95. Aon plc has a 1 year low of $304.59 and a 1 year high of $381.00. The business has a fifty day moving average of $322.69 and a 200-day moving average of $332.68.

AON (NYSE:AON) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $6.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $5.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.97 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Aon plc will post 19.1 earnings per share for the current year.

AON Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This is an increase from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. AON’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.36%.

AON 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.