AON (NYSE:AON) Reaches New 1-Year Low at $268.06

Shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $268.06 and last traded at $277.16, with a volume of 730889 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $306.00.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on AON shares. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of AON from $342.00 to $325.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of AON from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of AON from $333.00 to $308.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of AON from $294.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut 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. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $334.69.

AON Trading Down 8.7 %

The business has a fifty day moving average of $317.61 and a 200-day moving average of $314.43. The company has a market cap of $55.46 billion, a PE ratio of 22.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.86.

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

AON Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.675 per share. This is a positive change from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 30th. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. AON’s payout ratio is presently 19.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AON news, 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 transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Lisa Stevens sold 13,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.26, for a total transaction of $4,098,380.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 10,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,175,613.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Christa Davies sold 40,164 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.29, for a total transaction of $12,582,979.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 159,570 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,991,685.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 74,532 shares of company stock valued at $23,335,805 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AON

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AON. Cubic Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in AON during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,050,000. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of AON by 177.4% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 18,461 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,372,000 after acquiring an additional 11,806 shares in the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in shares of AON during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,203,000. Pathstone Family Office LLC raised its holdings in AON by 45.1% in the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC now owns 15,663 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,081,000 after acquiring an additional 4,872 shares during the last quarter. Finally, James Hambro & Partners increased its holdings in shares of AON by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. James Hambro & Partners now owns 223,865 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $65,137,000 after purchasing an additional 20,239 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.