Strategic Investment Advisors MI Makes New $695,000 Investment in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Strategic Investment Advisors MI acquired a new position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 6,333 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $695,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AFL. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Aflac by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,142,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,301,056,000 after purchasing an additional 6,759,169 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth approximately $420,078,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 161.9% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,184,801 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $349,405,000 after acquiring an additional 1,968,738 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 1,184.5% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,264,090 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $141,199,000 after acquiring an additional 1,165,676 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in Aflac by 390.7% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,111,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $122,588,000 after acquiring an additional 885,141 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE:AFL opened at $127.35 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $119.45 and a 200-day moving average of $114.71. The company has a market cap of $64.82 billion, a PE ratio of 14.46, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.61. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $96.95 and a one year high of $130.22.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. Aflac’s revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.66 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 27,845 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.71, for a total value of $3,249,789.95. Following the transaction, the insider owned 50,898,490 shares in the company, valued at $5,940,362,767.90. This trade represents a 0.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 12,370 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.54, for a total value of $1,441,599.80. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 33,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,881,947.40. The trade was a 27.08% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 744,916 shares of company stock valued at $87,118,632 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Aflac from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Aflac from $108.00 to $117.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $124.00 target price (up from $114.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Aflac from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aflac presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.17.

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.