Strs Ohio Sells 3,302 Shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON)

Strs Ohio trimmed its stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 71,980 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,302 shares during the period. Strs Ohio's holdings in AON were worth $20,947,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its position in AON by 34.7% in the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,003 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,629,000 after buying an additional 1,289 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AON by 134.6% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,633 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AON by 16.1% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 28,451 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $9,264,000 after purchasing an additional 3,948 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its holdings in shares of AON by 46.0% during the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,276 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in shares of AON by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 4,544 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,480,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AON Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE AON traded up $0.74 on Wednesday, reaching $304.79. The company had a trading volume of 832,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,001,517. The stock's 50 day moving average is $317.73 and its 200-day moving average is $315.03. The stock has a market cap of $60.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.36, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.86. Aon plc has a 52 week low of $284.85 and a 52 week high of $347.37.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The financial services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.07 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $3.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.36 billion. AON had a net margin of 19.17% and a negative return on equity of 1,150.40%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.89 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Aon plc will post 15.77 EPS for the current year.

AON Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors 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 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 30th. This is an increase from AON's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. AON's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on AON shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on AON from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group decreased 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on AON from $318.00 to $353.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on AON from $350.00 to $325.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on AON in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $390.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AON has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $335.36.

Insider Activity at AON

In other AON news, Director Lester B. Knight bought 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $301.97 per share, with a total value of $15,098,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 134,000 shares in the company, valued at $40,463,980. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other AON news, Director Lester B. Knight bought 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $301.97 per share, with a total value of $15,098,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 134,000 shares in the company, valued at $40,463,980. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Lisa Stevens sold 13,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.26, for a total value of $4,098,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,073 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,175,613.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 74,532 shares of company stock worth $23,335,805. 1.15% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.