AON (NYSE:AON) Sees Strong Trading Volume

Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 2,416,439 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 124% from the previous session's volume of 1,079,426 shares.The stock last traded at $284.92 and had previously closed at $280.37.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AON has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on AON from $294.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. TD Cowen started coverage on AON in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $390.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on AON from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. UBS Group decreased their price objective 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, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on AON from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $329.69.

AON Stock Up 0.6 %

The stock has a market cap of $55.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.10, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.86. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $316.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $313.67.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The financial services provider reported $5.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.86 by ($0.20). AON had a net margin of 19.04% and a negative return on equity of 1,083.00%. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.17 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Aon plc will post 15.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Increases Dividend

The business 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 represents a $2.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 30th. This is a boost from AON's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. AON's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.28%.

Insider Activity

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AON

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AON during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AON in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AON in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AON during the first quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in AON during the third quarter worth about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.14% of the company's stock.

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.