Markel Group Inc. Increases Stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON)

Markel Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 105,350 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 5,800 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc. owned about 0.05% of AON worth $30,659,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AON. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AON in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in AON during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of AON in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

AON Trading Down 6.6 %

Shares of AON stock traded down $20.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $285.88. 4,566,415 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,035,959. The business has a 50-day moving average of $317.11 and a 200-day moving average of $314.14. Aon plc has a 1 year low of $268.06 and a 1 year high of $347.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.86.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The financial services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.07 by ($0.18). AON had a negative return on equity of 1,150.40% and a net margin of 19.17%. The firm had revenue of $3.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.89 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Aon plc will post 15.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 1st will be given a dividend of $0.675 per share. This is a boost from AON's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 30th. This represents a $2.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.94%. AON's payout ratio is presently 19.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AON has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of AON from $294.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of AON from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on AON in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $390.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on AON from $342.00 to $325.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on AON from $318.00 to $353.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AON has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $334.69.

Insider Transactions at AON

In other AON news, Director Lester B. Knight purchased 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $301.97 per share, for a total transaction of $15,098,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 134,000 shares in the company, valued at $40,463,980. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Lester B. Knight acquired 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $301.97 per share, with a total value of $15,098,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 134,000 shares in the company, valued at $40,463,980. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Michael Neller sold 750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.00, for a total transaction of $234,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 three months, insiders sold 74,532 shares of company stock valued at $23,335,805. Corporate insiders own 1.15% of the company's stock.

AON 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.

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