Earnings Preview: Aon Corp.

Aon (AOC) is expected to report Q2 earnings after market close Thursday, July 31, with a conference call scheduled for Friday, August 1 at 11:00 am ET.

Guidance

Analysts are looking for EPS of 69c on revenue of $1.93B. The consensus range for EPS is 65c to 72c, while the consensus range for revenue is $1.88B to $1.98B, according to First Call.

Analyst Views

On July 1 Citigroup named Aon to its TEN+ list for 2008-2009. Last month, Citigroup wrote that Aon was still its top pick, after the firm met with the company's management. After Citigroup's discussions with Aon, the firm called Aon the best-positioned insurance broker due to its heavy investment spend. The firm maintained its Buy rating on the shares.

Aon recently chose Lester Knight, one of the company's independent directors, as the company's new non-executive chairman. Knight is a founder and managing partner of RoundTable Healthcare Partners, a health care-focused private equity investment firm. He has been a director at Aon since 1999.