AON (NYSE:AON) Sees Strong Trading Volume Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) saw unusually-high trading volume on Friday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $379.00 to $394.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Approximately 506,644 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 69% from the previous session’s volume of 298,933 shares.The stock last traded at $354.61 and had previously closed at $354.98.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on AON. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of AON from $413.00 to $432.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of AON from $394.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America increased their price target on AON from $345.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on AON from $325.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on AON from $385.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $363.00.

Insider Transactions at AON

In other AON news, insider Lisa Stevens sold 1,275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.68, for a total value of $494,292.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 8,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,131,291.36. This represents a 13.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Mindy F. Simon sold 650 shares of AON stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $394.34, for a total transaction of $256,321.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 1,816 shares in the company, valued at $716,121.44. This represents a 26.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AON

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. TD Asset Management Inc increased its stake in AON by 20.6% in the 2nd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 88,499 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,982,000 after purchasing an additional 15,105 shares in the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AON by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 29,859 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,766,000 after acquiring an additional 2,461 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in AON by 7.7% in the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 10,876 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,193,000 after purchasing an additional 781 shares during the period. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY raised its stake in AON by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY now owns 948 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $278,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Fiducient Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AON in the second quarter valued at $109,327,000. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AON Stock Down 0.3 %

The firm has a market cap of $76.55 billion, a PE ratio of 29.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 2.05. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $372.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $344.37.

AON Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a $0.675 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. AON’s dividend payout ratio is 22.78%.

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.