Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Aon has an average analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, with 12 buy ratings and 5 holds from 17 brokerages. The average 12-month price target is about $404.56.
• Recent analyst updates were mostly positive, including price target increases from Citigroup, Cantor Fitzgerald, and JPMorgan. Targets now range as high as $445.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected earnings, with Q1 EPS of $6.48 versus estimates of $6.37, and revenue of $5.03 billion. Aon also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, payable on August 14.

Shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $404.5625.

Several research analysts recently commented on AON shares. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of AON from $412.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of AON from $416.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on AON from $396.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Barclays increased their price objective on AON from $372.00 to $382.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on AON from $360.00 to $383.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th.

Insider Buying and Selling at AON

In other news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.00, for a total transaction of $216,000.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 15,354 shares in the company, valued at $5,527,440. This represents a 3.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of AON

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in AON by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 68,206 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $22,623,000 after purchasing an additional 1,293 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the second quarter worth $384,000. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AON by 0.7% during the second quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 7,524 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,496,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of AON by 392.3% during the second quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,638 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,207,000 after buying an additional 2,899 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AON by 25.2% in the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $382,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

AON Price Performance

Shares of AON stock opened at $355.50 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $335.69 and its 200 day moving average is $331.17. AON has a 1-year low of $304.59 and a 1-year high of $381.00. 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 $75.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.51, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.71.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Saturday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $6.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $4.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.67 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that AON will post 19.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 3rd will be issued a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 3rd. AON's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.00%.

AON Company 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.

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