Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Buys 2,428 Shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 24.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,543 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 2,428 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in AON were worth $4,505,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AON. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in AON during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of AON by 2,025.0% during the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 85 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AON in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in AON during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AON Price Performance

NYSE:AON traded down $3.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $354.10. The stock had a trading volume of 747,874 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,217,924. Aon plc has a 12 month low of $275.07 and a 12 month high of $412.97. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $378.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $375.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.46 billion, a PE ratio of 27.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.89.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The financial services provider reported $5.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $6.04 by ($0.37). AON had a return on equity of 70.84% and a net margin of 16.91%. The company had revenue of $4.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.66 earnings per share. AON's revenue for the quarter was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Aon plc will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current year.

AON Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 1st will be given a dividend of $0.745 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 1st. This is an increase from AON's previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. This represents a $2.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. AON's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of AON from $420.00 to $398.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on AON from $394.00 to $409.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on AON from $430.00 to $415.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of AON from $414.00 to $409.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of AON from $396.00 to $416.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $390.67.

About AON

Aon Plc engages in the provision of risk, health, and wealth solutions. It focuses on risk capital including claim management, reinsurance, risk analysis, management, retention, and transfer; and human capital involving analytics, health and benefits, investments, pensions and retirement, talent and rewards, and workplace wellbeing.