Aflac Incorporated $AFL Position Trimmed by Rhumbline Advisers

Rhumbline Advisers decreased its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,015,783 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 15,503 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned 0.19% of Aflac worth $113,463,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of Aflac by 188.5% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 225 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Aflac by 1,526.7% during the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Aflac Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $116.28 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $60.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.90, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.95. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $96.95 and a 52-week high of $119.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $4.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 14.35%. Aflac’s revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Aflac news, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 5,492 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.53, for a total value of $601,538.76. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 38,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,202,447.04. The trade was a 12.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 786 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.75, for a total value of $89,407.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 24,829 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,824,298.75. This represents a 3.07% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 29,044 shares of company stock worth $3,241,981. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Aflac from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Evercore raised their target price on Aflac from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Barclays set a $101.00 price target on Aflac and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.91.

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated (American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus) is a provider of supplemental insurance products designed to help policyholders manage out-of-pocket health care and living expenses. The company underwrites a range of individual and group policies that typically pay cash benefits directly to insureds when covered events occur, enabling greater financial flexibility for medical treatment, hospital stays, critical illness, and related costs. Aflac’s product mix includes supplemental health insurance, life insurance and other specialty coverages intended to complement primary medical plans.

Founded in the mid-20th century and headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, Aflac distributes its products through a combination of employer-sponsored programs, independent brokers and agents, and direct marketing.