Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Shares Sold by West Paces Advisors Inc.

West Paces Advisors Inc. reduced its position in Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 49.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 959 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 926 shares during the quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc.'s holdings in AON were worth $383,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Value Partners Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of AON by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 1,485 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $533,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in AON by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,338 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $840,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its stake in AON by 0.3% during the first quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 11,940 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,765,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its position in shares of AON by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 1,130 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $406,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keel Point LLC boosted its stake in shares of AON by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 779 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AON Stock Performance

NYSE AON traded down $2.08 on Tuesday, reaching $351.76. The stock had a trading volume of 1,108,546 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,193,415. The stock has a market cap of $75.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.86. Aon plc has a 12-month low of $283.27 and a 12-month high of $412.97. The business's 50-day moving average price is $363.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $373.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.40.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The financial services provider reported $5.67 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.04 by ($0.37). AON had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 70.84%. The business had revenue of $4.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.83 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.66 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Aon plc will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current year.

AON Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 1st were issued a dividend of $0.745 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 1st. This represents a $2.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. This is a positive change from AON's previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. AON's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of AON from $414.00 to $409.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on AON from $396.00 to $416.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on AON from $394.00 to $409.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Piper Sandler upgraded AON from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $384.00 to $378.00 in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $445.00 price target on AON in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AON presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $397.27.

About AON

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.