Wedbush Securities Inc. Raises Holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,485 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Aflac were worth $1,912,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Raelipskie Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the third quarter worth $38,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Price Performance

AFL opened at $101.94 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $55.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.62, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a 50-day moving average of $106.95 and a 200-day moving average of $107.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.10. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $79.31 and a 1-year high of $115.50.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays lowered their price target on Aflac from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group increased their target price on Aflac from $109.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Aflac from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Two 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 data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $104.29.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In other Aflac news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 owns 25,393 shares in the company, valued at $2,733,048.59. The trade was a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of the 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 directly owns 49,962 shares in the company, valued at $5,360,422.98. This trade represents a 37.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

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.