Insider Selling: AON (NYSE:AON) General Counsel Sells $717,744.00 in Stock

Aon plc (NYSE:AON) General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.76, for a total transaction of $717,744.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 11,504 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,345,751.04. This represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Darren Zeidel also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, July 17th, Darren Zeidel sold 1,950 shares of AON stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $372.05, for a total value of $725,497.50.
• On Tuesday, July 7th, Darren Zeidel sold 600 shares of AON stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.00, for a total value of $216,000.00.

AON Price Performance

Shares of AON stock opened at $360.71 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $341.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $332.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. Aon plc has a 12 month low of $304.59 and a 12 month high of $382.34. The company has a market capitalization of $76.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71.

AON (NYSE:AON) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.80 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. AON had a return on equity of 42.13% and a net margin of 22.27%.AON’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.49 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Aon plc will post 19.09 EPS for the current year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. AON’s payout ratio is currently 18.08%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AON has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of AON from $406.00 to $419.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of AON from $377.00 to $391.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of AON from $389.00 to $426.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of AON from $420.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on AON from $360.00 to $383.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $409.06.

More AON News

Here are the key news stories impacting AON this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aon reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $3.81 per share, narrowly above the $3.80 consensus and up from $3.49 a year earlier. Organic revenue growth reached 5%, while operating margins expanded and management reaffirmed its full-year guidance. Aon Q2 results and guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Growth in reinsurance and property-and-casualty businesses, combined with a record pace of share repurchases, strengthened the company’s capital-return story. Aon also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share. Aon buyback and Q2 growth
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $435 from $420 with a Buy rating, and Wells Fargo increased its target to $419 from $406 with an Overweight rating, signaling continued confidence in Aon’s longer-term earnings outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue rose 2.2% year over year to $4.25 billion but missed the $4.28 billion estimate. Higher expenses and lower interest income limited the benefit from organic growth and acquisitions, leaving investors focused on whether revenue growth can accelerate.
• Neutral Sentiment: Aon said severe weather across the U.S. Midwest—including wind, hail and tornadoes—could rank among the top 10 costliest severe-weather events. The company also expects losses from the July Japan earthquake to be below those from the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake; these developments highlight insurance-market activity but have limited direct earnings impact for Aon.
• Negative Sentiment: General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 1,900 shares for approximately $718,000, following additional sales earlier in July. Although he retains a sizable position, the repeated insider selling may weigh modestly on sentiment. Aon insider sale
• Negative Sentiment: WTW reported faster growth in its broking arm than Aon, Marsh and Gallagher, underscoring competitive pressure in Aon’s core brokerage market. WTW broking growth comparison

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AON

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dodge & Cox increased its holdings in AON by 126.6% during the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 7,852,456 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,770,975,000 after purchasing an additional 4,387,773 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in AON in the fourth quarter worth $1,155,981,000. Viking Global Investors LP bought a new stake in shares of AON during the third quarter worth $504,424,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of AON by 40,219.8% in the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 846,715 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $301,922,000 after buying an additional 844,615 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Southpoint Capital Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of AON in the fourth quarter valued at about $229,372,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

About AON

Aon plc is a global professional services firm that provides a broad suite of risk, retirement and health solutions to corporations, institutions and individuals. The company operates primarily as an insurance broker and risk adviser, helping clients identify, quantify and transfer risk across property, casualty, cyber and other areas. Aon also offers reinsurance brokerage and capital market solutions that connect insurers, reinsurers and corporate buyers.

In addition to traditional brokerage activities, Aon delivers consulting and outsourcing services in areas such as human capital, benefits, and retirement plan design and administration.