10,773 Shares in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Purchased by Machina Capital S.A.S.

Machina Capital S.A.S. bought a new stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 10,773 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,299,000. AON comprises about 1.3% of Machina Capital S.A.S.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AON. Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AON by 28.3% during the 1st quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 1,392 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $556,000 after acquiring an additional 307 shares in the last quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in AON in the 1st quarter worth approximately $89,000. City National Bank of Florida MSD raised its stake in shares of AON by 40.6% during the first quarter. City National Bank of Florida MSD now owns 969 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $387,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of AON in the first quarter valued at $3,100,000. Finally, Accredited Investors Inc. increased its stake in AON by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 4,222 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,685,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

AON Stock Up 4.5%

Shares of AON traded up $16.10 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $372.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,251,364 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,320,097. The company has a quick ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The firm has a market cap of $80.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a 50 day moving average of $358.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $370.77. Aon plc has a 1-year low of $304.12 and a 1-year high of $412.97.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $3.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.09. AON had a net margin of 15.58% and a return on equity of 52.71%. The business had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.93 EPS. AON's revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Aon plc will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.745 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 1st. This represents a $2.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. AON's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on AON shares. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $438.00 price objective (up from $436.00) on shares of AON in a report on Thursday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded AON from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $408.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on AON from $396.00 to $416.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on AON from $394.00 to $409.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on AON from $414.00 to $409.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AON currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $403.00.

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.