Stephens Inc. AR Has $13.74 Million Stake in Aon plc $AON

Stephens Inc. AR raised its stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 5.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 42,556 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,300 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in AON were worth $13,736,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC boosted its position in AON by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $683,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC raised its position in AON by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 1,582 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $558,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. City National Bank of Florida MSD lifted its holdings in AON by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. City National Bank of Florida MSD now owns 867 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $306,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AON by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,882 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $664,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in shares of AON by 39.3% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 117 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AON Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of AON stock traded up $7.44 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $364.35. 136,883 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,512,446. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.82 billion, a PE ratio of 20.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 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 50 day moving average price of $323.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $330.61. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $6.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.37 by $0.11. AON had a net margin of 22.54% and a return on equity of 43.50%. The business had revenue of $5.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.97 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.67 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Aon plc will post 19.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This is a positive change from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. AON’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on AON shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on AON from $406.00 to $396.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of AON from $416.00 to $401.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of AON from $370.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on shares of AON from $394.00 to $389.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AON presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $396.19.

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.