Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Shares Bought by Independent Franchise Partners LLP

Independent Franchise Partners LLP increased its stake in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 0.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,040,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,478 shares during the period. AON comprises approximately 5.9% of Independent Franchise Partners LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Independent Franchise Partners LLP owned 1.01% of AON worth $704,281,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AON. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its stake in shares of AON by 994.2% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 428,616 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,299,000 after purchasing an additional 389,443 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Advisory LLC bought a new stake in AON in the second quarter valued at approximately $208,000. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of AON by 1.1% in the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 46,036 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,892,000 after buying an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of AON by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 25,120 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,671,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC raised its stake in AON by 31.2% in the 2nd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 7,150 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,468,000 after acquiring an additional 1,700 shares during the period. 86.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AON has been the topic of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of AON in a report on Wednesday, October 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $361.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of AON in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on AON from $340.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on AON from $331.00 to $339.00 in a report on Friday, October 6th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on AON from $365.00 to $380.00 in a report on Sunday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $344.08.

AON Price Performance

Shares of AON traded up $1.45 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $331.19. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 456,502 shares, compared to its average volume of 806,354. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 61.66. Aon plc has a one year low of $280.89 and a one year high of $347.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.93. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $326.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $327.13.

AON (NYSE:AON) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 27th. The financial services provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.11. AON had a negative return on equity of 1,685.76% and a net margin of 20.74%. The firm had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.02 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Aon plc will post 14.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 1st were given a $0.615 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 31st. This represents a $2.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. AON’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.71%.

Insider Transactions at AON

In other news, Director Byron Spruell acquired 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $324.57 per share, with a total value of $259,656.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 4,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,298,604.57. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.15% of the company’s stock.

About AON

Aon plc, a professional services firm, provides advice and solutions to clients focused on risk, retirement, and health worldwide. It offers commercial risk solutions, including retail brokerage, specialty solutions, global risk consulting and captives management, and affinity programs; and health solutions, such as health and benefits brokerages, and health care exchanges.