Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Shares Sold by Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC decreased its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 87,292 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,174 shares during the quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $9,029,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Aflac during the third quarter worth about $34,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new stake in Aflac in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership acquired a new stake in Aflac in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Aflac by 41.8% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Aflac from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Aflac in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 price objective for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Aflac from $107.00 to $104.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $103.36.

Aflac Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $108.20 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $59.14 billion, a PE ratio of 11.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $104.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $107.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $79.31 and a 12-month high of $115.50.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.07). Aflac had a return on equity of 16.20% and a net margin of 28.76%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In other news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total value of $2,558,529.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 222,618 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,018,701.20. This trade represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, provides supplemental health and life insurance products. The company operates through Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. segments. The Aflac Japan segment offers cancer, medical, nursing care, work leave, GIFT, and whole and term life insurance products, as well as WAYS and child endowment plans under saving type insurance products in Japan.