Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Lowers Holdings in Aon plc $AON

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB reduced its position in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON) by 51.8% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,639 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,836 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in AON were worth $941,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Matrix Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of AON by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $150,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Busey Bank boosted its position in AON by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Busey Bank now owns 9,565 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,411,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Westpac Banking Corp increased its holdings in shares of AON by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 620 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AON by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC now owns 615 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $219,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KCM Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AON by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 636 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.14% of the company’s stock.

AON Price Performance

NYSE AON opened at $316.92 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $67.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.62, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.03 and a quick ratio of 2.03. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $332.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $345.27. Aon plc has a 1 year low of $304.59 and a 1 year high of $402.49.

AON (NYSE:AON) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.75 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $4.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. AON had a return on equity of 45.23% and a net margin of 21.51%.The firm’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.42 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Aon plc will post 17.21 earnings per share for the current year.

AON Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were paid a $0.745 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $2.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. AON’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AON news, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.79, for a total value of $1,641,981.60. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 20,254 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,598,550.66. This represents a 19.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Lester B. Knight acquired 4,000 shares of AON stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $319.24 per share, with a total value of $1,276,960.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 143,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,651,320. The trade was a 2.88% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AON has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AON in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of AON in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $436.00 price target on shares of AON in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Bank of America upgraded AON from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $398.00 to $397.00 in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on AON from $379.00 to $381.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AON currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $408.94.

AON Company Profile

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.