Ardevora Asset Management LLP Cuts Stock Position in Aon plc (NYSE:AON)

Ardevora Asset Management LLP cut its holdings in Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 44.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,516 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 27,513 shares during the period. Ardevora Asset Management LLP's holdings in AON were worth $10,045,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in AON by 106,777.0% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,817,279 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $845,578,000 after purchasing an additional 2,814,643 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of AON during the fourth quarter worth $341,922,000. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of AON by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,223,478 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $667,355,000 after acquiring an additional 620,067 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of AON by 200.5% during the second quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 831,903 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $287,171,000 after acquiring an additional 555,078 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp lifted its position in shares of AON by 410.9% during the third quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 654,446 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $212,184,000 after acquiring an additional 526,353 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at AON

In other AON news, Director Lester B. Knight purchased 50,000 shares of AON stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $301.97 per share, for a total transaction of $15,098,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 134,000 shares in the company, valued at $40,463,980. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Lester B. Knight bought 50,000 shares of AON stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $301.97 per share, for a total transaction of $15,098,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 134,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $40,463,980. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Lisa Stevens sold 13,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.26, for a total value of $4,098,380.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 10,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,175,613.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 74,532 shares of company stock worth $23,335,805 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.15% of the company's stock.

AON Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:AON traded up $1.49 on Friday, reaching $310.19. 823,325 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 877,424. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $317.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $314.74. Aon plc has a 52 week low of $284.85 and a 52 week high of $347.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.86.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The financial services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $3.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.89 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Aon plc will post 15.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.675 per share. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 30th. This is an increase from AON's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. AON's payout ratio is currently 19.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AON has been the topic of several recent research reports. TD Cowen initiated coverage on AON in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $390.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on AON from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on AON from $306.00 to $326.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. UBS Group lowered their price target on AON from $333.00 to $308.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on AON from $342.00 to $325.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $334.69.

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.