Teacher Retirement System of Texas Acquires 11,947 Shares of Aon plc $AON

Key Points

• Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its stake in Aon by 11.9%, buying 11,947 shares to hold 112,281 shares valued at about $39.62 million (roughly a 0.05% stake).
• Aon beat Q4 EPS estimates ($4.85 vs. $4.75) while revenue came in slightly below expectations ($4.30B vs. $4.38B), and the company reported strong profitability metrics (ROE 45.23%, net margin 21.51%).
• Aon increased its quarterly dividend to $0.82 (annualized $3.28, ~1.0% yield) and carries a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average analyst price target of about $401.81.

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 11.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 112,281 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 11,947 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned 0.05% of AON worth $39,622,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC raised its position 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 worth $683,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of AON by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 1,582 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $558,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Busey Bank raised its position in shares of AON by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Busey Bank now owns 9,565 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,411,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Westpac Banking Corp raised its position in shares of AON by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 620 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AON by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,882 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $664,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

AON Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:AON opened at $323.77 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.03. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $325.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $338.92. Aon plc has a 52-week low of $304.59 and a 52-week high of $381.00.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.75 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $4.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.38 billion. AON had a return on equity of 45.23% and a net margin of 21.51%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.42 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Aon plc will post 18.98 EPS for the current year.

AON Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

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 stock was purchased at an average price of $319.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,276,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 143,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $45,651,320. This trade represents a 2.88% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.79, for a total value of $1,641,981.60. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 20,254 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,598,550.66. This represents a 19.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AON shares. Barclays reduced their price objective on AON from $381.00 to $372.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on AON from $443.00 to $402.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on AON from $393.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $395.00 price objective on AON in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $436.00 price objective on shares of AON in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $401.81.

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.

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