Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Position Trimmed by Bragg Financial Advisors Inc

Bragg Financial Advisors Inc trimmed its stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,793 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 547 shares during the quarter. Bragg Financial Advisors Inc’s holdings in Aflac were worth $1,116,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AFL. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 75.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 776,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $88,533,000 after buying an additional 333,083 shares during the period. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth $948,000. Willis Investment Counsel boosted its position in Aflac by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 273,466 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,287,000 after purchasing an additional 3,357 shares during the last quarter. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,014,000. Finally, Czech National Bank increased its position in Aflac by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 108,405 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,213,000 after purchasing an additional 5,731 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $106.84 on Monday. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $79.69 and a 12 month high of $115.50. The company has a market cap of $58.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.81. The business’s 50 day moving average is $106.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.41. 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) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.07). Aflac had a net margin of 28.76% and a return on equity of 16.20%. On average, equities analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.63, for a total value of $107,630.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $5,360,422.98. This represents a 37.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Aflac from $118.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Aflac from $109.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Aflac from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Aflac in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $103.93.

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.