Aon plc $AON is Onex Canada Asset Management Inc.’s Largest Position

Onex Canada Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 7.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 169,774 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,388 shares during the quarter. AON accounts for approximately 7.6% of Onex Canada Asset Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Onex Canada Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.08% of AON worth $60,540,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Matrix Trust Co boosted its stake in AON by 7.1% during the third quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $150,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Busey Bank raised its stake in shares of AON by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Busey Bank now owns 9,565 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,411,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp lifted its holdings in shares of AON by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 620 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $221,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of AON by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC now owns 615 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $219,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, KCM Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AON by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 636 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

AON Stock Up 1.7%

AON stock opened at $321.39 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $334.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $346.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.88, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.82. Aon plc has a fifty-two week low of $304.59 and a fifty-two week high of $402.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.03.

AON (NYSE:AON) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.75 by $0.10. AON had a net margin of 21.51% and a return on equity of 45.23%. The company had revenue of $4.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.42 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Aon plc will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were given a dividend of $0.745 per share. This represents a $2.98 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. AON’s payout ratio is 17.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on AON shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on AON from $448.00 to $443.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. Morgan Stanley set a $400.00 price objective on AON in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Citigroup increased their target price on AON from $402.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Mizuho upgraded AON from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $397.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on AON from $410.00 to $416.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $408.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AON news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of AON stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.79, for a total transaction of $1,641,981.60. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 20,254 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,598,550.66. The trade was a 19.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Lester B. Knight acquired 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $319.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,276,960.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 143,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,651,320. The trade was a 2.88% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.