Aviva PLC Acquires 59,080 Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Aviva PLC raised its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 22.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 321,523 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 59,080 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned about 0.06% of Aflac worth $33,258,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Raelipskie Partnership purchased a new position in Aflac in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AFL. StockNews.com raised shares of Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Aflac from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Aflac from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. UBS Group upped their target price on Aflac from $109.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Aflac in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a "market perform" rating and a $111.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $103.93.

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Aflac Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:AFL traded up $1.33 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $106.01. 523,348 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,147,756. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The business's 50 day moving average is $106.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.86 billion, a PE ratio of 11.03, a P/E/G ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.81. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $79.31 and a one year high of $115.50.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now owns 49,962 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,360,422.98. The trade was a 37.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the business'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 transaction, the director now owns 25,393 shares in the company, valued at $2,733,048.59. This 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 insiders.

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.