Dockside LLC Buys New Holdings in Aon plc $AON

Dockside LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 17,873 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,307,000. AON accounts for 1.6% of Dockside LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in AON during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AON during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in AON in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in AON in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its holdings in AON by 39.3% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 117 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AON Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:AON opened at $335.51 on Friday. Aon plc has a 52-week low of $304.59 and a 52-week high of $381.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $322.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $332.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a current ratio of 1.95.

AON (NYSE:AON) last announced its earnings results on Saturday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $6.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.37 by $0.11. AON had a return on equity of 43.50% and a net margin of 22.54%.The firm had revenue of $5.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.67 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Aon plc will post 19.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were given a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is an increase from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. AON’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on AON. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on AON from $416.00 to $401.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on AON from $355.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on AON from $380.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AON in a report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on AON from $412.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $396.81.

About AON

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.