Ninety One North America Inc. Purchases 31,178 Shares of Aon plc $AON

Key Points

• Ninety One North America raised its Aon stake by 21.5% in Q4, adding 31,178 shares to hold 176,485 shares (about 2.5% of its portfolio), valued at roughly $62.3 million (~0.08% of Aon).
• Insider activity: General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares for ~$1.64M (reducing his holding to 20,254 shares) while Director Lester B. Knight bought 4,000 shares for ~$1.28M (bringing his stake to 143,000); insiders own 1.10% of the company.
• Company fundamentals: Aon beat Q4 EPS estimates ($4.85 vs. $4.75), raised its quarterly dividend to $0.82 (ex-dividend May 1; yield ~1.0%), and carries a "Moderate Buy" analyst consensus with a $401.81 target.

Ninety One North America Inc. boosted its position in Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 21.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 176,485 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 31,178 shares during the period. AON accounts for approximately 2.5% of Ninety One North America Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Ninety One North America Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of AON worth $62,278,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of AON by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 70 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new position in AON in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AON in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in AON during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AON during the third quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at AON

In other AON news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the general counsel owned 20,254 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,598,550.66. The trade was 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 acquired 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $319.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,276,960.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 143,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,651,320. This represents a 2.88% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

AON Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of AON stock opened at $331.89 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $71.11 billion, a PE ratio of 19.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.83. Aon plc has a 52-week low of $304.59 and a 52-week high of $381.00. The business's fifty day moving average is $324.39 and its 200 day moving average is $339.78. 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 (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 return on equity of 45.23% and a net margin of 21.51%.The business had revenue of $4.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.42 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Aon plc will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st will be paid a $0.82 dividend. This is an increase from AON's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. AON's payout ratio is 17.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Mizuho cut their target price on AON from $397.00 to $394.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on AON from $443.00 to $402.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of AON from $402.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of AON from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $398.00 to $397.00 in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $401.81.

AON Company Profile

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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