Pensionfund Sabic Takes $1.56 Million Position in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Pensionfund Sabic acquired a new position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 14,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,555,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stolper Co increased its stake in Aflac by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Stolper Co now owns 77,401 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,535,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Aflac by 72.4% during the fourth quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 33,168 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,657,000 after purchasing an additional 13,925 shares during the last quarter. Quantum Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter worth about $634,000. JGP Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. JGP Wealth Management LLC now owns 80,925 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,924,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 16.5% in the 4th quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 39,863 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,396,000 after purchasing an additional 5,639 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Stock Performance

NYSE:AFL opened at $106.16 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $54.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $111.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $110.37. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $96.95 and a twelve month high of $119.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Aflac news, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 15,590 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,841,713.41. The trade was a 20.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.96, for a total value of $2,141,528.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 52,241,500 shares in the company, valued at $5,796,716,840. This trade represents a 0.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 205,877 shares of company stock worth $22,568,556 in the last quarter. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen cut Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Barclays set a $101.00 target price on Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Mizuho set a $107.00 price target on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $109.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aflac currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.73.

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.