Aon plc $AON Shares Sold by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP reduced its position in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 28.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 27,672 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 11,245 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in AON were worth $8,932,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westpac Banking Corp grew its position in shares of AON by 265.9% during the first quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 2,093 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $676,000 after acquiring an additional 1,521 shares during the last quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions purchased a new stake in AON in the 1st quarter valued at $6,218,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in AON during the 1st quarter worth $61,000. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AON during the 1st quarter worth $262,000. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in AON by 19.8% during the 1st quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 5,601 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,808,000 after purchasing an additional 927 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on AON shares. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of AON from $389.00 to $426.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group boosted their price target on AON from $360.00 to $383.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AON in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on AON from $377.00 to $391.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on AON from $372.00 to $382.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AON presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $409.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,950 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $372.05, for a total value of $725,497.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 13,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,986,958.20. This trade represents a 12.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,450 shares of company stock valued at $1,659,242. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting AON

Here are the key news stories impacting AON this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aon reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $3.81 per share, narrowly above the $3.80 consensus and up from $3.49 a year earlier. Organic revenue growth reached 5%, while operating margins expanded and management reaffirmed its full-year guidance. Aon Q2 results and guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Growth in reinsurance and property-and-casualty businesses, combined with a record pace of share repurchases, strengthened the company’s capital-return story. Aon also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share. Aon buyback and Q2 growth
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $435 from $420 with a Buy rating, and Wells Fargo increased its target to $419 from $406 with an Overweight rating, signaling continued confidence in Aon’s longer-term earnings outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue rose 2.2% year over year to $4.25 billion but missed the $4.28 billion estimate. Higher expenses and lower interest income limited the benefit from organic growth and acquisitions, leaving investors focused on whether revenue growth can accelerate.
• Neutral Sentiment: Aon said severe weather across the U.S. Midwest—including wind, hail and tornadoes—could rank among the top 10 costliest severe-weather events. The company also expects losses from the July Japan earthquake to be below those from the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake; these developments highlight insurance-market activity but have limited direct earnings impact for Aon.
• Negative Sentiment: General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,900 shares for approximately $718,000, following additional sales earlier in July. Although he retains a sizable position, the repeated insider selling may weigh modestly on sentiment. Aon insider sale
• Negative Sentiment: WTW reported faster growth in its broking arm than Aon, Marsh and Gallagher, underscoring competitive pressure in Aon’s core brokerage market. WTW broking growth comparison

AON Price Performance

AON stock opened at $360.71 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $341.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $332.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a current ratio of 1.54. The company has a market cap of $77.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.71. Aon plc has a one year low of $304.59 and a one year high of $382.34.

AON (NYSE:AON) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.80 by $0.01. AON had a net margin of 22.27% and a return on equity of 42.13%. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.28 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Aon plc will post 19.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Monday, August 3rd will be issued a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. AON’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.08%.

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.