Aon plc $AON Holdings Reduced by Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC

Key Points

• Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC trimmed its Aon stake by 14.6% in Q3 to 51,962 shares, valued at about $18.53 million at quarter end.
• Insider activity was mixed: General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares for roughly $1.64 million (a 19.93% cut in his holding), while Director Lester B. Knight bought 4,000 shares at $319.24, raising his ownership to 143,000 shares.
• Analysts have a consensus Moderate Buy on AON (14 Buys, 5 Holds) with an average price target of $408.94; the company beat QEPS ($4.85 vs. $4.75) but missed revenue estimates ($4.30B vs. $4.38B), and the stock yields 0.9%.

Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lessened its stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 14.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 51,962 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 8,887 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC's holdings in AON were worth $18,529,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of AON by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 70 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in AON in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in shares of AON in the second quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AON during the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at AON

In other AON news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.79, for a total value of $1,641,981.60. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 20,254 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,598,550.66. This trade represents a 19.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lester B. Knight purchased 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $319.24 per share, with a total value of $1,276,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 143,000 shares in the company, valued at $45,651,320. The trade was a 2.88% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AON has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup increased their price objective on AON from $402.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of AON from $433.00 to $406.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on shares of AON from $393.00 to $412.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $436.00 price objective on shares of AON in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $408.94.

AON Trading Up 0.6%

AON stock opened at $341.10 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.04, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.03. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $338.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $348.61. Aon plc has a 52 week low of $304.59 and a 52 week high of $407.07.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.75 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $4.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. AON had a return on equity of 45.23% and a net margin of 21.51%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.42 EPS. Analysts expect that Aon plc will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.745 per share. This represents a $2.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 2nd. AON's payout ratio is 17.51%.

AON 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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