Aon plc $AON Shares Bought by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 293,677 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,017 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.14% of AON worth $104,705,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AON during the third quarter worth about $202,000. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in shares of AON by 1.2% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,449 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,300,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of AON by 4,538.5% during the 3rd quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 120,648 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,021,000 after purchasing an additional 118,047 shares in the last quarter. Goodman Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $262,000. Finally, Vinva Investment Management Ltd lifted its stake in AON by 36.8% in the 3rd quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 10,697 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,793,000 after buying an additional 2,876 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AON Price Performance

AON stock opened at $333.08 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Aon plc has a 52-week low of $304.59 and a 52-week high of $407.07. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $337.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $347.72.

AON (NYSE:AON) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.75 by $0.10. AON had a return on equity of 45.23% and a net margin of 21.51%.The firm had revenue of $4.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.42 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Aon plc will post 17.21 EPS for the current year.

AON Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.745 per share. This represents a $2.98 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 2nd. AON’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on AON shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on AON from $448.00 to $443.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Sunday, February 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of AON in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $408.00 price objective on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of AON from $410.00 to $416.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AON currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $408.94.

Insider Activity at AON

In related news, Director Lester B. Knight bought 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $319.24 per share, with a total value of $1,276,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 143,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,651,320. The trade was a 2.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 20,254 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,598,550.66. The trade was a 19.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.