Swedbank AB Acquires 4,493 Shares of Aon plc $AON

Key Points

• Swedbank AB raised its stake in Aon by 5.4%, acquiring 4,493 shares to hold 87,409 shares worth about $30.845 million, per its latest 13F filing.
• Aon beat Q1 estimates with $6.48 EPS (vs. $6.37 expected) and $5.03 billion in revenue (up 6.4% YoY), and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.82 ($3.28 annualized, a 1.0% yield).
• Insider moves included Director Lester B. Knight buying 4,000 shares at roughly $319.24 and General Counsel Darren Zeidel selling 5,040 shares, while institutional investors own about 86.14% of the stock.

Swedbank AB increased its holdings in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 87,409 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,493 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB's holdings in AON were worth $30,845,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its position in AON by 100.0% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 70 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new stake in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on AON shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $408.00 price target on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of AON from $402.00 to $412.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of AON from $416.00 to $401.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of AON from $406.00 to $396.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, 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 note on Monday, February 2nd. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AON has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $397.88.

Insider Activity at AON

In other AON news, Director Lester B. Knight bought 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director directly owned 143,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,651,320. This represents a 2.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of AON stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the general counsel owned 20,254 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,598,550.66. This represents a 19.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AON Stock Up 1.7%

NYSE:AON opened at $313.61 on Friday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $324.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $336.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 2.03. Aon plc has a one year low of $304.59 and a one year high of $381.00. The company has a market cap of $66.98 billion, a PE ratio of 17.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.72.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Saturday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $6.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.37 by $0.11. AON had a net margin of 22.54% and a return on equity of 43.50%. The business had revenue of $5.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.97 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.67 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Aon plc will post 19.02 earnings per share for the current year.

AON Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 1st. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from AON's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. AON's dividend payout ratio is 16.36%.

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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