ZEGA Investments LLC Acquires Shares of 64,000 Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

ZEGA Investments LLC bought a new position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 64,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,714,000. Aflac comprises 1.7% of ZEGA Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the third quarter valued at $34,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Raelipskie Partnership purchased a new position in Aflac in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:AFL opened at $108.10 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $105.95 and a 200 day moving average of $107.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Aflac Incorporated has a 52 week low of $79.31 and a 52 week high of $115.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.26, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.93.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.07). Aflac had a return on equity of 16.20% and a net margin of 28.76%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Aflac from $107.00 to $104.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com raised Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $103.36.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In other news, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.29, for a total transaction of $3,197,456.58. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 49,962 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,360,422.98. The trade was a 37.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total transaction of $2,558,529.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 222,618 shares in the company, valued at $23,018,701.20. This trade represents a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 55,546 shares of company stock worth $5,863,616. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Company Profile

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.