Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Position Cut by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. decreased its position in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 480,552 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 15,697 shares during the period. AON comprises 1.4% of Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned approximately 0.24% of AON worth $139,850,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AON by 30.8% during the 4th quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 857 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $247,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Cubic Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in AON in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,050,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its position in AON by 84.1% in the 4th quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 215,327 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $61,847,000 after purchasing an additional 98,338 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its position in AON by 22.2% in the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 4,252 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,238,000 after purchasing an additional 773 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in AON by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,504 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $438,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company's stock.

AON Stock Up 1.3 %

NYSE:AON traded up $4.22 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $318.99. 752,728 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 860,560. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $315.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $316.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.86. Aon plc has a 1 year low of $284.85 and a 1 year high of $347.37.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The financial services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.07 by ($0.18). AON had a net margin of 19.17% and a negative return on equity of 1,150.40%. The company had revenue of $3.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.89 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Aon plc will post 15.78 EPS for the current year.

AON Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 1st were paid a $0.615 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 31st. This represents a $2.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. AON's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on AON from $304.00 to $295.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised AON from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $351.00 to $321.00 in a research report on Monday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on AON from $350.00 to $325.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on AON from $342.00 to $325.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on AON from $333.00 to $308.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $336.36.

Insider Buying and Selling at AON

In related news, Director Lester B. Knight bought 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $301.97 per share, for a total transaction of $15,098,500.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 134,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $40,463,980. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other AON news, Director Lester B. Knight purchased 50,000 shares of AON stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $301.97 per share, with a total value of $15,098,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 134,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $40,463,980. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Michael Neller sold 750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.00, for a total value of $234,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,869 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,207,128. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 74,532 shares of company stock worth $23,335,805. 1.15% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About AON

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.