Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Aon plc experienced a significant **34.9% drop in short interest** in July, with total short interest falling to 3,000,000 shares as of July 31st.
• Analyst ratings for AON show a consensus of **"Moderate Buy"** with a price target averaging around $409.18, supported by multiple upgrades from firms like Barclays and Cantor Fitzgerald.
• AON's recent earnings report revealed an EPS of **$3.49**, exceeding estimates, and the company also declared a dividend of **$0.745** per share, which represents an annualized yield of 0.8%.

Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 3,000,000 shares, adropof34.9% from the July 15th total of 4,610,000 shares. Currently,1.4% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,300,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,300,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Currently,1.4% of the company's shares are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $420.00 price target (up from $401.00) on shares of AON in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $438.00 price target (up from $436.00) on shares of AON in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of AON from $411.00 to $421.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley restated a "cautious" rating on shares of AON in a report on Monday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of AON to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AON has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $409.18.

AON Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE AON traded up $7.4350 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $372.8050. 1,111,039 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,335,776. The business's 50-day moving average price is $357.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $370.56. AON has a twelve month low of $323.73 and a twelve month high of $412.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93. The company has a market capitalization of $80.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.83.

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

AON Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of AON

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State of Wyoming increased its stake in AON by 9.2% during the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,253 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $447,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of AON by 4.8% during the second quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 5,491 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,959,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in AON by 23.8% during the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 624 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its holdings in shares of AON by 8.2% in the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 229,203 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $81,711,000 after buying an additional 17,414 shares during the period. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in AON in the 2nd quarter valued at about $227,000. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

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.

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