GWN Securities Inc. Makes New Investment in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

GWN Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 8,367 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $878,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AFL. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth about $163,409,000. Amundi grew its stake in Aflac by 81.1% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,753,513 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $285,181,000 after buying an additional 1,232,683 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its stake in Aflac by 471.4% during the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 600,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $67,080,000 after buying an additional 495,000 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in Aflac by 670.9% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 556,576 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $57,572,000 after buying an additional 484,378 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac in the third quarter valued at approximately $42,290,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Aflac Price Performance

NYSE:AFL traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $108.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,754,631 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,984,445. The company has a market capitalization of $59.39 billion, a PE ratio of 11.32, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.93. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $79.31 and a 52-week high of $115.50. The business's 50-day moving average is $105.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.10.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Aflac in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $111.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target 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, Barclays reduced their price objective on Aflac from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $103.36.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In related news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Friday, December 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total transaction of $2,558,529.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 222,618 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,018,701.20. The trade was a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.63, for a total value of $107,630.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 25,393 shares in the company, valued at $2,733,048.59. This trade represents a 3.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 55,546 shares of company stock valued at $5,863,616 in the last quarter. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.