Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Reduces Holdings in Aon plc $AON

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. lowered its position in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 18.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,359 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,184 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in AON were worth $3,337,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of AON by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 70 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in AON in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in AON in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in shares of AON during the second quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AON in the second quarter worth $37,000. 86.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AON has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays increased their price objective on AON from $379.00 to $381.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $408.00 price objective on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of AON from $433.00 to $406.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $436.00 price target on shares of AON in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of AON from $402.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AON has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $409.75.

AON Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AON opened at $315.49 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $341.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $350.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.03 and a quick ratio of 2.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.54, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.83. Aon plc has a one year low of $304.59 and a one year high of $412.97.

AON (NYSE:AON) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.42 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Aon plc will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Announces Dividend

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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $2.98 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. AON’s dividend payout ratio is 17.51%.

Insider Transactions at AON

In other news, Director Lester B. Knight bought 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $319.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,276,960.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 143,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,651,320. This represents a 2.88% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.79, for a total transaction of $1,641,981.60. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 20,254 shares in the company, valued at $6,598,550.66. The trade was a 19.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.