Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Aon plc (NYSE:AON) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from seventeen research firms, with the average 12-month price target at $414.69.
• The company reported $3.49 earnings per share for its last quarter, exceeding expectations and showing a 10.5% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• Aon announced a quarterly dividend of $0.745 per share, representing an annualized yield of 0.8% and a dividend payout ratio of 24.96%.

Shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $414.6875.

AON has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on AON in a research note on Monday, September 15th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of AON from $393.00 to $413.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of AON from $427.00 to $419.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of AON to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded AON from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $400.00 to $426.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 30th.

AON Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of AON stock opened at $356.24 on Friday. AON has a 52-week low of $323.73 and a 52-week high of $412.97. The stock has a market cap of $76.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.84, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.87. The firm's 50-day moving average is $363.72 and its 200-day moving average is $365.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 1.52.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $3.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.40 by $0.09. AON had a return on equity of 50.91% and a net margin of 15.54%.The firm had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.93 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that AON will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

AON Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st were issued a $0.745 dividend. This represents a $2.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 1st. AON's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.96%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AON

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AON. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in AON during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in shares of AON during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of AON by 54.7% during the first quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 82 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in shares of AON in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new stake in shares of AON in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

About AON

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.

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