Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Shares Sold by Vestcor Inc

Vestcor Inc trimmed its stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 15.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 9,427 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,686 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Aflac were worth $975,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its stake in Aflac by 41.8% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $107.44 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $79.31 and a twelve month high of $115.50. The company’s fifty day moving average is $105.37 and its 200-day moving average is $107.69. The stock has a market cap of $58.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.93. 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 (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.63, for a total value of $107,630.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 25,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,733,048.59. This trade represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.29, for a total transaction of $3,197,456.58. Following the sale, the director now owns 49,962 shares in the company, valued at $5,360,422.98. This represents a 37.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 55,546 shares of company stock valued at $5,863,616 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AFL. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Aflac from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Aflac from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Aflac from $107.00 to $104.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $103.36.

Aflac 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.