Aon plc $AON Stock Holdings Boosted by Triumph Capital Management

Key Points

• Institutional interest increased: Triumph Capital Management boosted its Aon stake by 382.2% to 23,882 shares, while institutional investors collectively own 86.14% of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains moderately positive but targets have fallen: Aon has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating from analysts, with an average price target of $367.59, although several firms recently cut their targets amid potential execution concerns.
• Shares remain under pressure despite solid results: AON traded near $275.64, close to its 52-week low, after quarterly EPS slightly exceeded estimates while revenue fell short; the company also maintained a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share.

Triumph Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 382.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,882 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 18,929 shares during the quarter. AON comprises 1.1% of Triumph Capital Management's portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Triumph Capital Management's holdings in AON were worth $6,610,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AON. Independent Franchise Partners LLP boosted its stake in AON by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Independent Franchise Partners LLP now owns 2,115,523 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $746,526,000 after acquiring an additional 19,037 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in AON by 16.3% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,582,680 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $510,857,000 after purchasing an additional 222,092 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in AON by 23.5% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 1,502,890 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $485,103,000 after purchasing an additional 285,549 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in AON by 20.5% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,253,769 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $404,709,000 after purchasing an additional 213,051 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in AON by 74.7% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 797,418 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $257,391,000 after purchasing an additional 340,866 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AON has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of AON from $360.00 to $286.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on AON from $417.00 to $342.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen lifted their target price on AON from $416.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of AON in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on AON from $383.00 to $323.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $367.59.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Lester Knight bought 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $327.48 per share, with a total value of $6,549,600.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 163,000 shares in the company, valued at $53,379,240. This represents a 13.99% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.76, for a total value of $717,744.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 11,504 shares in the company, valued at $4,345,751.04. The trade was a 14.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AON News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting AON this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ukraine facility expanded: Aon and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development increased the Ukraine Recovery and Reconstruction Guarantee Facility from €110 million to €150 million. The program has supported more than €500 million in reinsurance coverage across nearly 10,000 policies, potentially strengthening Aon’s role in a developing specialty-insurance market. Aon and EBRD expand war risk insurance facility for Ukraine
• Positive Sentiment: Additional insurance opportunities: Ukrainian insurers UNIVERSALNA and USG joined the facility, broadening its distribution and potential underwriting reach as demand for war-risk coverage remains elevated. Aon and EBRD expand Ukraine war risk facility
• Neutral Sentiment: Management change: Aon appointed Leonora Siccardi as global chief execution officer for its Risk Capital and Human Capital businesses. The role could support execution, but the immediate financial impact is unclear. Aon appoints Leonora Siccardi
• Neutral Sentiment: Benefits-market trends: Aon expects Asia-Pacific medical-cost inflation to moderate to 9.7%, while rising medical costs are driving greater interest in employee-benefit captives. These trends may create consulting opportunities but also signal persistent cost pressure for clients. Medical cost pressure drives Aon’s EB captive expansion
• Negative Sentiment: Broad analyst target cuts: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced its target to $342 from $417, Morgan Stanley cut its target to $350, and Wells Fargo lowered its target to $323. Evercore also reduced its target to $375 from $423. The coordinated revisions are the clearest near-term catalyst weighing on AON, suggesting analysts see reduced upside or greater execution risk.

AON Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of AON stock traded up $0.93 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $275.64. 1,699,593 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,528,376. The company has a market capitalization of $58.47 billion, a PE ratio of 15.20, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. Aon plc has a 52 week low of $266.33 and a 52 week high of $382.34. The business has a 50 day moving average of $313.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $326.52.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.80 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.28 billion. AON had a return on equity of 42.13% and a net margin of 22.27%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.49 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Aon plc will post 18.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Monday, November 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 2nd. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. AON's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.08%.

About AON

Aon plc is a global professional services firm that helps organizations manage risk, make better decisions and improve performance. Its services are organized around risk capital and human capital, combining advisory expertise, data, analytics and insurance-related solutions.

The company provides commercial risk brokerage and consulting, reinsurance brokerage, retirement and investment advisory services, health benefits consulting, talent and compensation consulting, and related technology and data products.

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