American Trust Decreases Stock Position in Aon plc (NYSE:AON)

American Trust cut its stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 26.0% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,152 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 404 shares during the quarter. American Trust’s holdings in AON were worth $384,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AON in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AON in the first quarter valued at $37,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AON in the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. First United Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in AON during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in AON during the 1st quarter worth about $55,000. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AON Stock Performance

NYSE AON traded up $2.39 on Friday, hitting $330.21. 1,649,743 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,289,751. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.92, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 4.13. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $296.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $303.60. Aon plc has a fifty-two week low of $268.06 and a fifty-two week high of $344.68. The firm has a market cap of $71.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.91.

AON (NYSE:AON) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 26th. The financial services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.76 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Aon plc will post 15.31 EPS for the current year.

AON Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AON. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised AON from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $313.00 to $380.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $311.00 price target on shares of AON in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on AON from $287.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Citigroup assumed coverage on AON in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $309.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on AON from $353.00 to $379.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AON presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $330.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Andy Weitz 8,454 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.15% of the company’s stock.

AON Company 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.