Cozad Asset Management Inc. Has $1.31 Million Holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Cozad Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,707 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 748 shares during the quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Aflac were worth $1,314,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of AFL stock opened at $108.47 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $105.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.67. 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 company has a market capitalization of $59.29 billion, a PE ratio of 11.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.93. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $79.31 and a 12-month high of $115.50.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, analysts predict 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 that occurred on 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 directly owns 25,393 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total transaction of $2,558,529.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 222,618 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,018,701.20. This trade represents a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 55,546 shares of company stock worth $5,863,616 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AFL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Aflac from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Aflac from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $103.36.

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.