Aon plc (NYSE:AON) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) by 71.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 254,481 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 634,688 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of AON worth $88,048,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farallon Capital Management LLC lifted its position in AON by 196.7% during the 2nd quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,875,200 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $550,521,000 after acquiring an additional 1,243,200 shares in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AON during the third quarter worth $336,375,000. Veritas Asset Management LLP grew its holdings in AON by 41.6% during the 3rd quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 3,010,557 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,041,623,000 after purchasing an additional 883,761 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in AON by 334.9% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,050,537 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $363,475,000 after buying an additional 808,990 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in AON by 37.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,000,969 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $587,445,000 after buying an additional 548,563 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Lisa Stevens sold 1,275 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now owns 8,077 shares in the company, valued at $3,131,291.36. This represents a 13.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Mindy F. Simon sold 650 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $394.34, for a total transaction of $256,321.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 1,816 shares in the company, valued at $716,121.44. This trade represents a 26.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AON shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on AON from $344.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised AON from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $315.00 to $377.00 in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of AON from $394.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of AON from $413.00 to $432.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of AON from $325.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AON presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $362.06.

AON Stock Performance

AON traded up $4.72 during trading on Friday, reaching $358.47. 2,099,847 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,171,888. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.66. The stock has a market cap of $77.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.25, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.91. Aon plc has a 52 week low of $268.06 and a 52 week high of $395.33. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $372.18 and a 200 day moving average of $340.01.

AON Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were given a $0.675 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $2.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. AON's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.78%.

AON 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.