4,046 Shares in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Purchased by Nomura Holdings Inc.

Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,046 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,177,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AON. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AON in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AON in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of AON during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AON in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, First United Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of AON in the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.14% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at AON

In related news, Director Lester B. Knight purchased 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $276.61 per share, for a total transaction of $2,766,100.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 139,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,448,790. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.15% of the company's stock.

AON Stock Performance

NYSE:AON traded down $1.16 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $296.59. 1,590,506 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,258,173. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $291.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $304.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.91. Aon plc has a fifty-two week low of $268.06 and a fifty-two week high of $347.37.

AON (NYSE:AON - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The financial services provider reported $5.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.86 by ($0.20). AON had a negative return on equity of 1,083.00% and a net margin of 19.04%. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.17 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Aon plc will post 15.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 1st were given a dividend of $0.675 per share. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 30th. This is a positive change from AON's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. AON's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on AON shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $315.00 price target on shares of AON in a research note on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of AON from $294.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of AON in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $309.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of AON from $318.00 to $353.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Bank of America cut AON from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $345.00 to $306.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AON currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $321.86.

AON Company Profile

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.