Clarius Group LLC Lowers Position in Aon plc (NYSE:AON)

Clarius Group LLC cut its holdings in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,618 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in AON were worth $471,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AON during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AON during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in AON during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in AON during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in AON during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AON Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE:AON opened at $308.00 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $317.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $315.45. The company has a market capitalization of $61.08 billion, a PE ratio of 24.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.86. Aon plc has a 52-week low of $284.85 and a 52-week high of $347.37.

AON (NYSE:AON) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The financial services provider reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.07 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $3.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.36 billion. AON had a negative return on equity of 1,150.40% and a net margin of 19.17%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.89 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Aon plc will post 15.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 1st will be paid a $0.675 dividend. This is an increase from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. AON’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on AON. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on AON from $294.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on AON from $318.00 to $353.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on AON from $304.00 to $295.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. Piper Sandler increased their price target on AON from $306.00 to $326.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on AON from $333.00 to $308.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AON presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $337.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at AON

In related news, Director Lester B. Knight bought 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $301.97 per share, for a total transaction of $15,098,500.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 134,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,463,980. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, insider Michael Neller sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $312.00, for a total value of $234,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,207,128. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Lester B. Knight purchased 50,000 shares of AON stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $301.97 per share, with a total value of $15,098,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 134,000 shares in the company, valued at $40,463,980. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 74,532 shares of company stock worth $23,335,805. 1.15% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

AON Profile

Aon plc, a professional services firm, provides a range of risk and human capital solutions 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.