Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Aon plc (NYSE:AON) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have given a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $362.06.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AON shares. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of AON from $413.00 to $432.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of AON from $338.00 to $384.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on AON from $344.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays boosted their target price on AON from $394.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on AON from $345.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th.

AON Stock Performance

Shares of AON stock opened at $361.61 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $78.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.52, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 2.05. AON has a fifty-two week low of $268.06 and a fifty-two week high of $395.33. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $372.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $341.46.

AON Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st were given a $0.675 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. AON’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.78%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Lisa Stevens sold 1,275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.68, for a total value of $494,292.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 8,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,131,291.36. The trade was a 13.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Mindy F. Simon sold 650 shares of AON stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $394.34, for a total value of $256,321.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 1,816 shares in the company, valued at $716,121.44. The trade was a 26.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AON. Farallon Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of AON by 196.7% during the 2nd quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,875,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $550,521,000 after purchasing an additional 1,243,200 shares in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the third quarter worth approximately $336,375,000. Veritas Asset Management LLP grew its position in AON by 41.6% during the 3rd quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 3,010,557 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,041,623,000 after acquiring an additional 883,761 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in AON by 334.9% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,050,537 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $363,475,000 after purchasing an additional 808,990 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stone Point Capital LLC acquired a new position in AON in the second quarter worth $151,808,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About AON

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.