Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Has $38.28 Million Stake in Aon plc $AON

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp decreased its position in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 10.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 108,472 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 12,864 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in AON were worth $38,278,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of AON by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,171,049 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,117,960,000 after purchasing an additional 191,658 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of AON by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,229,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,291,048,000 after purchasing an additional 105,154 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of AON by 5.9% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,715,346 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,324,818,000 after purchasing an additional 207,690 shares during the last quarter. Dodge & Cox bought a new stake in shares of AON during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,235,437,000. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its stake in shares of AON by 12.0% during the third quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 2,330,363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $830,945,000 after purchasing an additional 249,549 shares during the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AON Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of AON stock opened at $321.75 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Aon plc has a 12 month low of $304.59 and a 12 month high of $381.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $325.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $337.69. The stock has a market cap of $68.94 billion, a PE ratio of 18.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.83.

AON (NYSE:AON) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.75 by $0.10. AON had a return on equity of 45.23% and a net margin of 21.51%.The business had revenue of $4.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.42 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Aon plc will post 18.98 EPS for the current year.

AON Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. AON’s payout ratio is presently 17.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on AON shares. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $436.00 price target on shares of AON in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on AON from $397.00 to $394.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AON in a report on Monday, March 16th. Barclays dropped their price objective on AON from $381.00 to $372.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of AON from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $398.00 to $397.00 in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AON has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $401.81.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AON news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.79, for a total value of $1,641,981.60. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 20,254 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,598,550.66. This trade represents a 19.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Lester B. Knight bought 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $319.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,276,960.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 143,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,651,320. This trade represents a 2.88% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

AON Company 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.