Aon plc $AON Shares Sold by Artisan Partners Limited Partnership

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership decreased its position in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 11.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,117,428 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 149,342 shares during the quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s holdings in AON were worth $394,318,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the third quarter worth about $25,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in AON in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AON in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in AON in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in AON in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

AON Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of AON stock opened at $331.60 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.95. The company has a market cap of $70.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.20, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $322.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $332.29. Aon plc has a 1-year low of $304.59 and a 1-year high of $381.00.

AON (NYSE:AON) last announced its 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. The business had revenue of $5.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.97 billion. AON had a return on equity of 43.50% and a net margin of 22.54%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.67 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect 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 paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This is a positive change from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. AON’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AON shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on AON from $412.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. 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 report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group decreased their price target on AON from $385.00 to $360.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho decreased their price target on AON from $394.00 to $389.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on AON from $443.00 to $402.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AON presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $394.94.

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.