Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC Has $143.31 Million Position in Aon plc $AON

Key Points

• Douglass Winthrop Advisors increased its stake in Aon to 401,900 shares (about $143.31M), making Aon its 13th-largest holding, while institutional ownership is high at roughly 86.14% with large positions by Norges Bank (~$754.7M) and Vanguard (~20.29M shares, ~$7.24B).
• Recent results and payouts: Aon reported $4.85 EPS (beating estimates by $0.10) with revenue up 3.7% but slightly below consensus, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.745 (annualized $2.98, ~0.9% yield).
• Strategic and insider developments: Aon is advancing tech and leadership initiatives (VIPR partnership, North America CEO appointment) while insiders showed mixed activity — the general counsel sold 5,040 shares and a director purchased 4,000 shares, with insiders owning ~1.10% of stock.

Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 1.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 401,900 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 4,813 shares during the period. AON comprises 2.5% of Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.19% of AON worth $143,310,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in AON during the second quarter valued at approximately $754,671,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of AON by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,289,743 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $7,238,569,000 after purchasing an additional 511,292 shares during the last quarter. Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AON by 193.2% during the 2nd quarter. Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC now owns 692,633 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $247,104,000 after purchasing an additional 456,399 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of AON by 92.9% in the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 889,332 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $317,118,000 after buying an additional 428,361 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AON in the third quarter valued at $142,986,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

AON Price Performance

Shares of AON opened at $316.93 on Thursday. The company's 50-day moving average is $335.70 and its 200-day moving average is $347.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.03 and a quick ratio of 2.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.91 billion, a PE ratio of 18.62, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.82. Aon plc has a fifty-two week low of $304.59 and a fifty-two week high of $402.49.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 net margin of 21.51% and a return on equity of 45.23%. AON's revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.42 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Aon plc will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

AON Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were given a $0.745 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $2.98 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. AON's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.51%.

AON News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting AON this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aon signed a multi‑year engagement with VIPR Solutions to automate delegated authority operations across its global reinsurance platform, which should improve efficiency, data accuracy and speed to market for its reinsurance business. VIPR Announces Strategic Engagement with Aon to Transform Delegated Authority Operations
• Positive Sentiment: Related coverage highlights the VIPR partnership as part of Aon’s tech investment push to boost digital transformation across reinsurance and delegated authority workflows. That supports margin and scalability over time. Aon Expands Tech Investments With VIPR Partnership for Reinsurance
• Neutral Sentiment: Aon is piloting stablecoin payments for insurance premiums with Coinbase and Paxos (USDC on Ethereum, PYUSD on Solana) to test faster settlement. This is innovative and could reduce friction, but regulatory/legal and adoption questions keep the near‑term impact uncertain. Aon tests stablecoin payment for insurance premiums with Coinbase and Paxos
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage frames Aon’s recent leadership moves as a tech‑focused shuffle aimed at sharpening long‑term competitive edge; this signals strategic intent but may take time to translate into measurable financial gains. Is Aon’s (AON) Tech-Focused Leadership Shuffle Quietly Reframing Its Long-Term Competitive Edge?
• Positive Sentiment: Aon named Anne Corona as CEO of North America, elevated Lori Goltermann to Vice Chair, and appointed Farheen Dam as CEO of Enterprise Clients and Chief Client Officer — moves that provide clear succession and client‑leadership focus, which investors often view favorably for execution on large-market opportunities. Aon Appoints Anne Corona as CEO of North America, Elevates Lori Goltermann
• Negative Sentiment: Lockton hired Aon’s Livy Dai as China CEO — a prized executive exit that could create short‑term disruption in a key market and raise concerns about talent retention. Lockton appoints Aon’s Livy Dai as China CEO
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry hiring roundups and regional moves (including Aon and iA Financial) were reported; these are routine but contribute to narrative around talent and regional execution. Insurance moves: Aon and iA Financial
• Positive Sentiment: Aon appointed a head of sustainability, reinforcing ESG capabilities that can help win clients and institutional investor support over time. Aon appoints sustainability head

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of AON from $448.00 to $443.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Sunday, February 1st. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of AON from $402.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $436.00 target price on shares of AON in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $408.00 price target on shares of AON in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on AON from $379.00 to $381.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AON presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $408.94.

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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