Aon plc $AON Position Boosted by Farallon Capital Management LLC

Farallon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 14.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,278,017 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 291,600 shares during the period. AON comprises 3.3% of Farallon Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Farallon Capital Management LLC’s holdings in AON were worth $812,295,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in AON by 100.0% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 70 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in AON in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AON in the second quarter worth $37,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at AON

In other news, Director Lester B. Knight purchased 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $319.24 per share, for a total transaction of $1,276,960.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of AON stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.79, for a total value of $1,641,981.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 20,254 shares in the company, valued at $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 owned by corporate insiders.

AON Stock Up 1.7%

AON opened at $321.39 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $68.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.03. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $334.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $346.26. Aon plc has a twelve month low of $304.59 and a twelve month high of $402.49.

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

AON Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were given a dividend of $0.745 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $2.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. AON’s payout ratio is currently 17.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AON. Mizuho raised AON from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $397.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Citigroup upped their target price on AON from $402.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley set a $400.00 price target on AON in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of AON in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $395.00 price objective on shares of AON in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AON presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $408.94.

AON Company Profile

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.