Berkeley Capital Partners LLC Boosts Holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Berkeley Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 34.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,571 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Aflac were worth $1,611,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Raelipskie Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Aflac news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, December 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total value of $2,558,529.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 222,618 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,018,701.20. This trade represents a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.63, for a total transaction of $107,630.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 25,393 shares of the company's stock, 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 a total of 55,546 shares of company stock valued at $5,863,616 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on AFL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Aflac from $107.00 to $104.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $103.36.

Aflac Stock Performance

AFL traded up $1.46 on Monday, hitting $109.70. 1,553,913 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,994,451. The company has a 50 day moving average of $106.09 and a 200-day moving average of $107.61. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $79.31 and a 12-month high of $115.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.96 billion, a PE ratio of 11.43, a PEG 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 - 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

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.