Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Shares Sold by Diversified Trust Co

Diversified Trust Co cut its stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 31.2% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 8,764 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,969 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co’s holdings in AON were worth $2,573,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AON in the fourth quarter worth about $157,650,000. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in AON by 177.4% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 18,461 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,372,000 after acquiring an additional 11,806 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AON in the 4th quarter valued at $424,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of AON by 33.5% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 4,816 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,402,000 after acquiring an additional 1,208 shares during the period. Finally, Simplicity Solutions LLC lifted its position in AON by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 11,178 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,253,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

AON Price Performance

AON stock traded up $2.76 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $330.36. The stock had a trading volume of 21,153 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,284,675. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $303.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $304.68. Aon plc has a twelve month low of $268.06 and a twelve month high of $344.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.67, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.92, a current ratio of 2.42 and a quick ratio of 2.42.

AON (NYSE:AON) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 26th. The financial services provider reported $2.93 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 firm had revenue of $3.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.76 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Aon plc will post 15.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on AON shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised AON from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $313.00 to $380.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on AON from $287.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of AON from $353.00 to $379.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of AON in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $309.00 target price for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $335.00 price objective on shares of AON in a report on Monday, August 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AON has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $330.21.

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.