Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Shares Sold by Ritholtz Wealth Management

Ritholtz Wealth Management reduced its holdings in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 44.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,486 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,662 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in AON were worth $1,306,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AON by 106,777.0% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,817,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $845,578,000 after purchasing an additional 2,814,643 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of AON in the fourth quarter worth about $341,922,000. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in shares of AON by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,223,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $667,355,000 after acquiring an additional 620,067 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of AON by 200.5% in the 2nd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 831,903 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $287,171,000 after acquiring an additional 555,078 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp grew its position in AON by 410.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 654,446 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $212,184,000 after purchasing an additional 526,353 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AON has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on AON from $350.00 to $325.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 22nd. Piper Sandler upped their target price on AON from $306.00 to $326.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of AON from $304.00 to $295.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 21st. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of AON from $342.00 to $325.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on shares of AON in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $390.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $336.36.

AON Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of AON stock opened at $333.59 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $312.77 and a 200-day moving average of $316.73. The firm has a market cap of $66.15 billion, a PE ratio of 26.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 61.66. Aon plc has a 12 month low of $284.85 and a 12 month high of $347.37.

AON (NYSE:AON) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The financial services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.07 by ($0.18). AON had a net margin of 19.17% and a negative return on equity of 1,150.40%. The company had revenue of $3.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.36 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.89 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Aon plc will post 15.78 EPS for the current year.

AON Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 1st were given a dividend of $0.615 per share. This represents a $2.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 31st. AON’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AON news, Director Lester B. Knight acquired 50,000 shares of AON stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $301.97 per share, with a total value of $15,098,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 134,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $40,463,980. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Christa Davies sold 20,618 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $311.40, for a total value of $6,420,445.20. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 159,570 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,690,098. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Lester B. Knight bought 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $301.97 per share, with a total value of $15,098,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 134,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,463,980. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 74,532 shares of company stock valued at $23,335,805 over the last ninety days. 1.15% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AON Company Profile

Aon plc, a professional services firm, provides a range of risk and human capital solutions worldwide. It offers commercial risk solutions, including retail brokerage, specialty solutions, global risk consulting and captives management, and affinity programs; and health solutions, such as health and benefits brokerages, and health care exchanges.