Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. Acquires 2,585 Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 397.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,235 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,585 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Aflac were worth $335,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake 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 buying an additional 653,275 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Aflac by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,465,433 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,286,042,000 after acquiring an additional 288,482 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter worth about $349,699,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Aflac by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,226,681 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $333,768,000 after purchasing an additional 47,119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased 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 valued at $285,181,000 after purchasing an additional 1,232,683 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $107.96 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $107.14 and its 200 day moving average is $107.11. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $80.59 and a one year high of $115.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.10. The stock has a market cap of $58.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.81.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aflac news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 25,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,733,048.59. This trade represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 49,962 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,360,422.98. This trade represents a 37.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Aflac from $109.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Aflac from $107.00 to $104.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Aflac in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a "market perform" rating and a $111.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Aflac from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Two equities 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $103.93.

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.

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