Czech National Bank Boosts Holdings in Aon plc $AON

Czech National Bank grew its stake in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 4.1% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 60,792 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,374 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in AON were worth $20,164,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AON 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 transaction of $725,497.50. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 13,404 shares in the company, valued at $4,986,958.20. This trade represents a 12.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 4,450 shares of company stock valued at $1,659,242 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

AON Price Performance

Shares of AON stock opened at $357.68 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $345.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $332.52. The company has a market capitalization of $75.87 billion, a PE ratio of 19.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.69. Aon plc has a twelve month low of $304.59 and a twelve month high of $382.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34.

AON (NYSE:AON) last issued 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. The firm had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. AON had a net margin of 22.27% and a return on equity of 42.13%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.49 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Aon plc will post 19.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on AON. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of AON from $420.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of AON from $377.00 to $391.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of AON from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. UBS Group raised their price objective on AON from $383.00 to $387.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $420.00 price objective on shares of AON in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $410.75.

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.