Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Shares Sold by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 80.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,664 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 22,995 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in AON were worth $2,034,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in AON in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AON by 2,025.0% in the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 85 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AON in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in AON during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in AON in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

AON Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AON traded up $0.44 during trading on Monday, hitting $362.36. The stock had a trading volume of 123,395 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,203,153. Aon plc has a 12-month low of $275.07 and a 12-month high of $412.97. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $372.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $375.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.89.

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

AON Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 1st were paid a dividend of $0.745 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 1st. This represents a $2.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. This is a positive change from AON's previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. AON's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.38%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AON has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded AON from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $408.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of AON to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Redburn Partners set a $445.00 target price on shares of AON in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of AON from $410.00 to $445.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on AON from $430.00 to $415.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $391.75.

AON 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.