Polen Capital Management LLC Has $651.52 Million Stake in Aon plc $AON

Polen Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 25.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,846,294 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 643,873 shares during the period. AON makes up approximately 2.8% of Polen Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Polen Capital Management LLC owned about 0.86% of AON worth $651,520,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of AON by 28.4% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 14,704 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,246,000 after purchasing an additional 3,253 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in shares of AON by 9.1% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 98,084 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,992,000 after purchasing an additional 8,216 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in shares of AON by 35.2% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 292,210 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $104,249,000 after purchasing an additional 76,061 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of AON by 27.1% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,734 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $995,000 after purchasing an additional 583 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of AON by 46.1% in the 2nd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 40,044 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,286,000 after purchasing an additional 12,631 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AON Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE AON opened at $335.08 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $322.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $332.66. The firm has a market cap of $71.57 billion, a PE ratio of 18.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.71. Aon plc has a 1 year low of $304.59 and a 1 year high of $381.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.95.

AON (NYSE:AON) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $6.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.37 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $5.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.97 billion. AON had a net margin of 22.54% and a return on equity of 43.50%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.67 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Aon plc will post 19.1 EPS for the current year.

AON Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This is a positive change from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. AON’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AON shares. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of AON from $381.00 to $372.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of AON from $443.00 to $402.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America upgraded shares of AON from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $398.00 to $397.00 in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AON in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of AON from $406.00 to $396.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AON has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $396.81.

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.