World Investment Advisors Raises Stock Holdings in Aon plc $AON

Key Points

• World Investment Advisors boosted its Aon stake by 226.4% in the first quarter, ending with 10,654 shares valued at about $3.44 million.
• Aon reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $6.48 versus estimates of $6.37 and revenue of $5.03 billion, up 6.4% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.82 per share from $0.74, while analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” with an average target price of $394.94.

World Investment Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 226.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,654 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,390 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors' holdings in AON were worth $3,439,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AON by 28.4% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 14,704 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,246,000 after buying an additional 3,253 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in AON by 9.1% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 98,084 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,992,000 after acquiring an additional 8,216 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in shares of AON by 35.2% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 292,210 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $104,249,000 after acquiring an additional 76,061 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of AON by 27.1% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,734 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $995,000 after purchasing an additional 583 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of AON by 46.1% in the 2nd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 40,044 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $14,286,000 after purchasing an additional 12,631 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

AON Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE:AON opened at $356.89 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $76.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.71. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $323.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $330.61. Aon plc has a 1 year low of $304.59 and a 1 year high of $381.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.95.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $6.48 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $5.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.67 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Aon plc will post 19.09 EPS for the current year.

AON Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued 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 was Friday, May 1st. This is a boost from AON's previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. AON's payout ratio is presently 18.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on AON shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on AON from $443.00 to $402.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group dropped their price target on AON from $385.00 to $360.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Citigroup increased their price target on AON from $412.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of AON in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of AON from $381.00 to $372.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $394.94.

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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