Aon plc $AON Stake Lessened by Wedge Capital Management L L P NC

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC trimmed its stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 10.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,317 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,453 shares during the quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC’s holdings in AON were worth $10,097,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of AON by 4.7% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 31,463 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $12,557,000 after acquiring an additional 1,413 shares during the last quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. acquired a new position in AON in the 1st quarter worth about $4,032,000. Summit Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AON by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 724 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $289,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. CW Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of AON by 33.7% in the 1st quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 5,708 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,278,000 after buying an additional 1,440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compound Planning Inc. raised its position in AON by 35.9% during the first quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 2,468 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $985,000 after acquiring an additional 652 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

AON Price Performance

Shares of AON stock opened at $350.09 on Monday. Aon plc has a 12 month low of $323.73 and a 12 month high of $412.97. The company has a market capitalization of $75.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $346.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $355.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86.

AON (NYSE:AON) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The financial services provider reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.14. AON had a return on equity of 48.88% and a net margin of 15.96%.The business had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.72 earnings per share. AON’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Aon plc will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Monday, November 3rd were paid a $0.745 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 3rd. This represents a $2.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. AON’s payout ratio is presently 23.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AON has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of AON from $436.00 to $433.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $379.00 price target (down previously from $420.00) on shares of AON in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $390.00 price objective on shares of AON in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on AON from $428.00 to $410.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of AON in a report on Monday, December 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $413.18.

AON Profile

Aon plc is a global professional services firm that provides a broad suite of risk, retirement and health solutions to corporations, institutions and individuals. The company operates primarily as an insurance broker and risk adviser, helping clients identify, quantify and transfer risk across property, casualty, cyber and other areas. Aon also offers reinsurance brokerage and capital market solutions that connect insurers, reinsurers and corporate buyers.

In addition to traditional brokerage activities, Aon delivers consulting and outsourcing services in areas such as human capital, benefits, and retirement plan design and administration.