Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC Purchases New Stake in Aon plc $AON

Key Points

• Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired 26,272 Aon shares during the first quarter, valued at approximately $8.3 million. Institutional investors now own 86.14% of AON’s outstanding stock.
• Aon’s latest quarterly results showed adjusted EPS of $3.81, slightly above estimates, with organic revenue growth of 5% and expanded operating margins. However, revenue of $4.25 billion fell short of the $4.28 billion consensus estimate.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $409.06 versus the reported share price of $360.71. Aon also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, representing a 0.9% yield.

Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 26,272 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $8,326,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AON. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in shares of AON in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in AON during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in AON in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AON in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AON during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

Key AON News

Here are the key news stories impacting AON this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aon reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $3.81 per share, narrowly above the $3.80 consensus and up from $3.49 a year earlier. Organic revenue growth reached 5%, while operating margins expanded and management reaffirmed its full-year guidance. Aon Q2 results and guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Growth in reinsurance and property-and-casualty businesses, combined with a record pace of share repurchases, strengthened the company’s capital-return story. Aon also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share. Aon buyback and Q2 growth
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $435 from $420 with a Buy rating, and Wells Fargo increased its target to $419 from $406 with an Overweight rating, signaling continued confidence in Aon’s longer-term earnings outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue rose 2.2% year over year to $4.25 billion but missed the $4.28 billion estimate. Higher expenses and lower interest income limited the benefit from organic growth and acquisitions, leaving investors focused on whether revenue growth can accelerate.
• Neutral Sentiment: Aon said severe weather across the U.S. Midwest—including wind, hail and tornadoes—could rank among the top 10 costliest severe-weather events. The company also expects losses from the July Japan earthquake to be below those from the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake; these developments highlight insurance-market activity but have limited direct earnings impact for Aon.
• Negative Sentiment: General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,900 shares for approximately $718,000, following additional sales earlier in July. Although he retains a sizable position, the repeated insider selling may weigh modestly on sentiment. Aon insider sale
• Negative Sentiment: WTW reported faster growth in its broking arm than Aon, Marsh and Gallagher, underscoring competitive pressure in Aon’s core brokerage market. WTW broking growth comparison

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AON. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on AON from $370.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on AON from $396.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of AON from $404.00 to $400.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of AON from $406.00 to $419.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of AON in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $409.06.

AON Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE:AON opened at $360.71 on Monday. Aon plc has a 1 year low of $304.59 and a 1 year high of $382.34. The business has a fifty day moving average of $341.22 and a 200-day moving average of $331.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 1.54. The stock has a market cap of $76.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.88, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.69.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.80 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. AON had a net margin of 22.27% and a return on equity of 42.13%. AON's revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.49 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Aon plc will post 19.09 earnings per share for the current year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 3rd. AON's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.08%.

Insider Activity

In other news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,950 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $372.05, for a total value of $725,497.50. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 13,404 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,986,958.20. The trade was a 12.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,450 shares of company stock worth $1,659,242. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AON 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.

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.