Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the fourteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $390.67.

Several research firms have issued reports on AON. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on AON from $390.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on AON from $394.00 to $409.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on AON from $414.00 to $409.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of AON from $430.00 to $415.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $445.00 target price on shares of AON in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AON

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in AON in the third quarter worth $1,685,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in AON by 1,162.5% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 101 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co increased its holdings in shares of AON by 11.1% in the third quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 10,093 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,492,000 after acquiring an additional 1,012 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the third quarter worth about $275,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of AON in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,959,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company's stock.

AON Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AON traded down $0.51 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $355.74. 1,152,991 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,228,464. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.40. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $381.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $375.67. AON has a 12 month low of $275.07 and a 12 month high of $412.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.82 billion, a PE ratio of 28.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.82.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The financial services provider reported $5.67 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $6.04 by ($0.37). AON had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 70.84%. The company had revenue of $4.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.83 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.66 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that AON will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 1st will be given a $0.745 dividend. This is a positive change from AON's previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. This represents a $2.98 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 1st. AON's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.38%.

AON Company Profile

Aon Plc engages in the provision of risk, health, and wealth solutions. It focuses on risk capital including claim management, reinsurance, risk analysis, management, retention, and transfer; and human capital involving analytics, health and benefits, investments, pensions and retirement, talent and rewards, and workplace wellbeing.