Strs Ohio Sells 3,302 Shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON)

Strs Ohio cut its position in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 71,980 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,302 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in AON were worth $20,947,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in AON in the fourth quarter worth about $1,524,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in AON in the fourth quarter worth about $3,521,000. MV Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in AON by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,922 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,888,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC raised its holdings in AON by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 11,178 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,253,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Seascape Capital Management grew its stake in shares of AON by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Seascape Capital Management now owns 10,948 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,186,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AON Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:AON opened at $304.09 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $317.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $315.03. The stock has a market cap of $60.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.37, a PEG ratio of 1.85 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 for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.07 by ($0.18). The business 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.89 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Aon plc will post 15.77 earnings per share for the current year.

AON Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.675 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 30th. This is a boost from AON’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. AON’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.71%.

Insider Transactions at AON

In related news, insider Lisa Stevens sold 13,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.26, for a total transaction of $4,098,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,175,613.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other AON news, insider Lisa Stevens sold 13,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.26, for a total value of $4,098,380.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 10,073 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,175,613.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Lester B. Knight purchased 50,000 shares of AON stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $301.97 per share, for a total transaction of $15,098,500.00. Following the transaction, 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 sold 74,532 shares of company stock worth $23,335,805. 1.15% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on AON from $342.00 to $325.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on AON from $304.00 to $295.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on AON from $350.00 to $325.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on AON from $294.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on AON from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. Two equities 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $335.36.

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.