Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. Invests $4.31 Million in Aon plc $AON

Key Points

• Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. acquired a new stake of 12,200 AON shares valued at approximately $4.31 million, representing about 1.2% of the firm's holdings and its 13th-largest position.
• Aon reported quarterly EPS of $4.85, beating consensus by $0.10, with revenue of $4.30 billion (up 3.7% year-over-year) but slightly below analysts' revenue estimates.
• Analysts are broadly positive—14 Buy vs. 5 Hold ratings—with a consensus price target of $408.94, and AON pays a quarterly dividend of $0.745 (annualized $2.98) for a ~0.9% yield.

Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. acquired a new stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 12,200 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,305,000. AON makes up about 1.2% of Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in AON by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 70 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AON in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of AON in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in AON during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company's stock.

AON Stock Up 0.1%

AON opened at $326.04 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.03. Aon plc has a one year low of $304.59 and a one year high of $402.49. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $331.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $344.25.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $4.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.42 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were issued a $0.745 dividend. This represents a $2.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. AON's payout ratio is presently 17.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AON has been the subject of several recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of AON from $393.00 to $412.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $436.00 price objective on shares of AON in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Bank of America upgraded AON from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $398.00 to $397.00 in a report on Friday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $408.00 price target on shares of AON in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $408.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at AON

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

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AON? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.