Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Aon plc (NYSE:AON) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $394.9375.

Several analysts have issued reports on AON shares. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of AON from $360.00 to $355.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 15th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AON in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on AON from $443.00 to $402.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on AON from $406.00 to $396.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AON in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st.

AON Price Performance

NYSE AON opened at $356.89 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $323.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $330.61. AON has a twelve month low of $304.59 and a twelve month high of $381.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.23 billion, a PE ratio of 19.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.71. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $6.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.37 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $5.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.97 billion. AON had a return on equity of 43.50% and a net margin of 22.54%.AON’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.67 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that AON will post 19.09 EPS for the current year.

AON Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a $0.82 dividend. This is a boost from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. AON’s payout ratio is presently 18.00%.

Institutional Trading of AON

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. acquired a new stake in AON in the 4th quarter valued at $4,305,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AON by 1,640.4% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 143,163 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $50,519,000 after acquiring an additional 134,937 shares during the period. Bowie Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AON by 31.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bowie Capital Management LLC now owns 356,887 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $127,259,000 after purchasing an additional 84,446 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC increased its position in shares of AON by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 333,454 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $117,669,000 after purchasing an additional 6,622 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TABR Capital Management LLC bought a new position in AON during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,278,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.