Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Shares Acquired by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 10.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,151,909 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 109,182 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.21% of Aflac worth $119,150,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Trading Up 3.2 %

Shares of AFL opened at $108.28 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.10 and a quick ratio of 0.08. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $80.59 and a 1-year high of $115.50. The stock has a market cap of $59.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $106.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $107.17.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Aflac from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Aflac in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $111.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com raised Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Aflac from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Aflac from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Two 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $103.93.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In related news, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now owns 49,962 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,360,422.98. This represents a 37.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.63, for a total transaction of $107,630.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.90% of the stock is currently 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.

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