BNP Paribas Financial Markets Sells 58,783 Shares of Aon plc $AON

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets sold 58,783 shares of Aon, trimming its stake by 19.9% to 236,768 shares valued at about $84.4 million at quarter-end.
• Sell‑side consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $408.94 (14 Buys, 5 Holds) after several broker price‑target and rating adjustments.
• Insiders were active: Director Lester B. Knight bought 4,000 shares while the general counsel sold 5,040 shares; Aon also topped Q3 EPS estimates ($4.85 vs. $4.75) and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.745 (annualized $2.98, ~0.9% yield).

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lowered its stake in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 19.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 236,768 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 58,783 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.11% of AON worth $84,427,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Silver Lake Advisory LLC acquired a new position in AON during the 3rd quarter worth $1,292,000. Callan Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of AON by 220.7% in the third quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 11,675 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,163,000 after purchasing an additional 8,034 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,752,000. Veritas Asset Management LLP lifted its position in shares of AON by 19.3% during the 3rd quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 2,053,673 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $732,299,000 after purchasing an additional 332,685 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC grew its holdings in AON by 64.9% in the 3rd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 19,092 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,808,000 after buying an additional 7,512 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on AON. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on AON from $433.00 to $406.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of AON from $410.00 to $416.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Mizuho upgraded shares of AON from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $397.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of AON from $402.00 to $412.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $408.00 price objective on shares of AON in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AON presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $408.94.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Lester B. Knight bought 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $319.24 per share, with a total value of $1,276,960.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 143,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,651,320. This represents a 2.88% increase in their position. The transaction 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 the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the general counsel owned 20,254 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,598,550.66. This trade represents a 19.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

AON Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AON opened at $316.12 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.57, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.82. Aon plc has a one year low of $304.59 and a one year high of $402.49. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $334.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $346.92. The company has a current ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

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

AON Dividend Announcement

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