Aflac Incorporated $AFL Shares Sold by Cambria Investment Management L.P.

Cambria Investment Management L.P. lessened its stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 6.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 114,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 7,547 shares during the quarter. Aflac accounts for 0.7% of Cambria Investment Management L.P.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Cambria Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Aflac were worth $12,754,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AFL. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Aflac in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Price Performance

AFL stock opened at $109.53 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $111.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $110.37. The firm has a market cap of $56.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.92, a PEG ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $96.95 and a 1 year high of $119.32.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). Aflac had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 21.24%.The company had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.45 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AFL. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Aflac from $109.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Barclays set a $101.00 target price on Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price target on Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.73.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 17,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.14, for a total value of $1,899,036.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 52,132,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,689,762,878. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 15,590 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.93, for a total transaction of $1,713,808.70. Following the sale, the director directly owned 62,237 shares in the company, valued at $6,841,713.41. This represents a 20.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 151,077 shares of company stock valued at $16,648,784 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Company Profile

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.