AON (NYSE:AON) Sees Strong Trading Volume Following Analyst Upgrade

Aon plc (NYSE:AON) saw strong trading volume on Friday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $379.00 to $394.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock. 506,644 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 69% from the previous session’s volume of 298,933 shares.The stock last traded at $354.61 and had previously closed at $354.98.

Several other research firms have also commented on AON. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of AON from $345.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of AON from $344.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on AON from $413.00 to $432.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on AON from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on AON from $394.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $363.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at AON

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AON

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new position in AON during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AON by 1,162.5% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 101 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in AON in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in AON during the third quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new position in AON during the third quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

AON Stock Down 0.3 %

The firm has a market cap of $76.55 billion, a PE ratio of 29.87, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.93. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $372.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $344.00. 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 Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a $0.675 dividend. This represents a $2.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. AON’s payout ratio is currently 22.78%.

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.