Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Decreases Stock Position in Aon plc $AON

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA trimmed its position in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 4.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 89,972 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,994 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in AON were worth $29,041,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new position in AON during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in AON in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AON during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AON during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in AON during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup raised their price objective on AON from $412.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of AON from $380.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AON in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of AON from $385.00 to $360.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on AON from $381.00 to $372.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $394.94.

AON Stock Up 3.5%

NYSE:AON opened at $343.34 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $322.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $330.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a current ratio of 1.95. Aon plc has a fifty-two week low of $304.59 and a fifty-two week high of $381.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.71.

AON (NYSE:AON) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $6.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.37 by $0.11. The firm 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%. AON’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.67 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Aon plc will post 19.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. AON’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.00%.

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.