AON (NYSE:AON) Sees Large Volume Increase

Shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 2,416,439 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 124% from the previous session’s volume of 1,079,426 shares.The stock last traded at $284.92 and had previously closed at $280.37.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on AON shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of AON from $294.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of AON from $300.00 to $289.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of AON from $333.00 to $308.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of AON from $325.00 to $315.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of AON from $318.00 to $353.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AON has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $329.69.

AON Trading Up 1.3 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $56.37 billion, a PE ratio of 22.03, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.86. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $316.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $313.67.

AON (NYSE:AON) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The financial services provider reported $5.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.86 by ($0.20). AON had a net margin of 19.04% and a negative return on equity of 1,083.00%. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.17 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Aon plc will post 15.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 1st will be given a dividend of $0.675 per share. This represents a $2.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 30th. This is a positive change from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. AON’s payout ratio is 19.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Michael Neller sold 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.00, for a total value of $234,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,207,128. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Lisa Stevens sold 13,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.26, for a total transaction of $4,098,380.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,073 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,175,613.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Michael Neller sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.00, for a total transaction of $234,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,869 shares in the company, valued at $1,207,128. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 74,532 shares of company stock valued at $23,335,805. Corporate insiders own 1.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AON

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in AON in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AON in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AON in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AON in the first quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in AON in the third quarter valued at $39,000. 86.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.