Level Four Advisory Services LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Level Four Advisory Services LLC cut its stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 68,828 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 2,599 shares during the period. Level Four Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Aflac were worth $7,120,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Aflac by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 51,340,298 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,310,640,000 after acquiring an additional 653,275 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Aflac by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,694,511 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $524,846,000 after purchasing an additional 281,148 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter worth approximately $349,699,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,226,681 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $333,768,000 after buying an additional 47,119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its position in Aflac by 81.1% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,753,513 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $285,181,000 after buying an additional 1,232,683 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:AFL traded up $1.23 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $112.42. 711,562 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,118,719. 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 $61.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.70, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.93. The firm's 50 day moving average is $106.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.68.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last issued 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Aflac news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.63, for a total value of $107,630.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 25,393 shares in the company, valued at $2,733,048.59. This represents a 3.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.29, for a total value of $3,197,456.58. Following the transaction, the director now owns 49,962 shares in the company, valued at $5,360,422.98. The trade was a 37.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective 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. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Aflac in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a "market perform" rating and a $111.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Aflac from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average 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.