Brokerages Set Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Price Target at $321.36

Shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $330.21.

AON has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $311.00 target price on shares of AON in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of AON from $353.00 to $379.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of AON from $312.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of AON from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $313.00 to $380.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of AON from $300.00 to $296.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th.

AON Price Performance

AON stock opened at $330.21 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.92, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 4.13. AON has a 1 year low of $268.06 and a 1 year high of $344.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.73 billion, a PE ratio of 25.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.91. The company’s 50-day moving average is $296.73 and its 200-day moving average is $303.61.

AON (NYSE:AON) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 26th. The financial services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.08 by ($0.15). AON had a return on equity of 252.81% and a net margin of 18.00%. The business had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.74 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.76 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that AON will post 15.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st will be given a $0.675 dividend. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. AON’s payout ratio is presently 21.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Andy Weitz 8,454 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.15% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AON

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AON. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AON in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AON during the 1st quarter valued at about $37,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AON during the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. First United Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of AON during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of AON by 52.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 168 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

About AON

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.