AON (NYSE:AON) Hits New 52-Week High at $353.40

Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $353.40 and last traded at $353.40, with a volume of 41536 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $347.85.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AON. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of AON from $287.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Barclays began coverage on AON in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $394.00 price objective for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded AON from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $313.00 to $380.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of AON in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $309.00 price target for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of AON from $311.00 to $353.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $337.27.

AON Stock Up 0.8 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $325.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $310.19. The company has a market capitalization of $76.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.48, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.92, a quick ratio of 2.42 and a current ratio of 2.42.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 26th. The financial services provider reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.08 by ($0.15). AON had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 252.81%. The firm had revenue of $3.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.74 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.76 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Aon plc will post 15.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 1st were issued a $0.675 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $2.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. AON's payout ratio is currently 21.16%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AON. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in AON by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,661,672 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,894,053,000 after buying an additional 64,500 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in AON by 2.5% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 12,552,569 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,685,183,000 after acquiring an additional 309,702 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in AON by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 5,524,730 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,607,519,000 after acquiring an additional 22,346 shares during the last quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. raised its position in AON by 1.2% during the second quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 4,405,780 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,293,449,000 after purchasing an additional 52,099 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sustainable Growth Advisers LP lifted its stake in AON by 4.7% during the first quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 2,805,199 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $936,151,000 after purchasing an additional 127,173 shares during the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.