Insider Buying: Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Director Acquires $2,766,100.00 in Stock

Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) Director Lester B. Knight purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $276.61 per share, with a total value of $2,766,100.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 139,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $38,448,790. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

AON Stock Performance

AON traded up $2.89 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $288.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,541,348 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,134,765. The company's 50-day moving average is $312.74 and its 200-day moving average is $311.97. Aon plc has a 52 week low of $268.06 and a 52 week high of $347.37. The firm has a market cap of $62.70 billion, a PE ratio of 22.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.90.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The financial services provider reported $5.66 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.86 by ($0.20). The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.14 billion. AON had a negative return on equity of 1,083.00% and a net margin of 19.04%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.17 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Aon plc will post 15.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 1st will be issued a $0.675 dividend. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. This is a positive change from AON's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 30th. AON's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on AON shares. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of AON from $333.00 to $308.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on AON from $318.00 to $353.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on AON from $325.00 to $315.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of AON in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $390.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on AON from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $329.69.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AON

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in AON in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AON in the third quarter worth $30,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AON during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in AON in the 1st quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in AON during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company's stock.

AON Company Profile

Aon plc, a professional services firm, provides a range of risk and human capital solutions worldwide. It offers commercial risk solutions, including retail brokerage, specialty solutions, global risk consulting and captives management, and affinity programs; and health solutions, such as health and benefits brokerages, and health care exchanges.