Aon plc $AON Shares Purchased by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management increased its stake in Aon by 11.9% in Q4, buying an additional 6,721 shares to hold 63,195 shares worth about $22.3 million, and overall institutional ownership stands at ~86.14%.
• Insider activity was mixed: Director Lester B. Knight bought 4,000 shares at an average $319.24, while General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares at about $325.79, trimming his position by ~19.9%.
• Wall Street consensus is a Moderate Buy with a $401.81 average target; Aon beat Q4 EPS estimates ($4.85 vs. $4.75) and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.82 (annualized $3.28, ~1.0% yield).

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 11.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 63,195 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,721 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s holdings in AON were worth $22,300,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AON by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,839 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AON by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,014 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $711,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the fourth quarter worth $617,000. Maseco LLP lifted its holdings in shares of AON by 36.0% during the fourth quarter. Maseco LLP now owns 234 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, Cache Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the fourth quarter worth $767,000. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AON. Morgan Stanley set a $400.00 price target on AON in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on AON from $393.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, March 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on AON from $406.00 to $396.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on AON from $397.00 to $394.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $401.81.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

AON Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of AON stock opened at $323.05 on Wednesday. Aon plc has a fifty-two week low of $304.59 and a fifty-two week high of $386.45. The stock has a market cap of $69.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.83. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $325.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $340.05. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

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

AON Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be given a $0.82 dividend. This is an increase from AON's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 1st. AON's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.51%.

About AON

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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