Virtu Financial LLC Takes $1.69 Million Position in Aon plc (NYSE:AON)

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Aon plc (NYSE:AON - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 4,870 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,685,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farallon Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AON by 196.7% in the second quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,875,200 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $550,521,000 after buying an additional 1,243,200 shares during the period. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in AON in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $336,375,000. Veritas Asset Management LLP grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $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 position in shares of AON by 334.9% during the third 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 valued at $363,475,000 after purchasing an additional 808,990 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of AON by 37.8% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,000,969 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $587,445,000 after purchasing an additional 548,563 shares in the last quarter. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AON Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of AON traded down $1.52 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $361.20. 1,082,782 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,172,434. The business has a fifty day moving average of $371.53 and a 200-day moving average of $336.36. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $78.12 billion, a PE ratio of 30.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.91. Aon plc has a 1-year low of $268.06 and a 1-year high of $395.33.

AON Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were paid a $0.675 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. AON's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AON has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of AON from $345.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of AON from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $315.00 to $377.00 in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on AON from $311.00 to $353.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Barclays raised their target price on AON from $394.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on AON from $338.00 to $384.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AON presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $362.06.

Insider Activity at AON

In other AON news, insider Lisa Stevens sold 1,275 shares of AON stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.68, for a total value of $494,292.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 8,077 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,131,291.36. The trade was a 13.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Mindy F. Simon sold 650 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 1,816 shares of the company's stock, valued at $716,121.44. This represents a 26.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.