Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Shares Acquired by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 51,340,298 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 653,275 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.24% of Aflac worth $5,310,640,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AFL. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Aflac by 75.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 776,131 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $88,533,000 after acquiring an additional 333,083 shares during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the 3rd quarter worth about $979,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth about $948,000. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Aflac by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,202,104 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $134,395,000 after buying an additional 45,745 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Willis Investment Counsel boosted its holdings in Aflac by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 273,466 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,287,000 after buying an additional 3,357 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

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

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Aflac Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE:AFL traded down $1.07 on Friday, hitting $109.71. The stock had a trading volume of 1,876,401 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,120,892. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $106.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.66. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $79.31 and a 1-year high of $115.50. 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 stock has a market cap of $59.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.43, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.93.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Aflac from $107.00 to $104.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Aflac from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $103.36.

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.