O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Sells 3,132 Shares of Aon plc $AON

Key Points

• O Shaughnessy Asset Management reduced its Aon stake by 11.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,132 shares and leaving it with 23,779 shares worth about $8.39 million.
• Aon reported solid quarterly results, posting EPS of $6.48 versus the $6.37 consensus and revenue of $5.03 billion, while revenue rose 6.4% year over year.
• The company raised its dividend to $0.82 per quarter from $0.75 previously, and analysts currently view the stock as a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $396.81.

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 11.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,779 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,132 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC's holdings in AON were worth $8,391,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC raised its stake in shares of AON by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $683,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in AON by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 1,582 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $558,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Westpac Banking Corp grew its holdings in AON by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 620 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $221,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in AON by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,882 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $664,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in AON by 39.3% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 117 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AON Price Performance

Shares of AON stock opened at $337.09 on Thursday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $322.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $332.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.95. The firm has a market cap of $71.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.71. Aon plc has a one year low of $304.59 and a one year high of $381.00.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $6.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.37 by $0.11. AON had a return on equity of 43.50% and a net margin of 22.54%.The business had revenue of $5.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.67 EPS. AON's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Aon plc will post 19.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This is a positive change from AON's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. AON's payout ratio is currently 16.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AON has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on AON from $416.00 to $401.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on AON from $406.00 to $396.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America raised AON from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $398.00 to $397.00 in a report on Friday, February 27th. Mizuho lowered their target price on AON from $394.00 to $389.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on AON from $380.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $396.81.

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.