Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 29,912 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Natixis Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 10.8% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 247,859 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 29,912 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $27,686,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 188.5% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 225 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Aflac in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Aflac by 100.0% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Aflac during the second quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Aflac during the third quarter worth about $45,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.77, for a total value of $2,115,707.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 52,222,400 shares in the company, valued at $5,784,675,248. This trade represents a 0.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 7,387 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.58, for a total transaction of $839,015.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 40,526 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,602,943.08. The trade was a 15.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 51,279 shares of company stock worth $5,697,789 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $110.35 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $56.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.04, a PEG ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $96.95 and a 12 month high of $119.32. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $111.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $110.30.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AFL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Aflac from $109.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $119.00 price target (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 target price on Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $111.73.

Aflac Company Profile

Aflac Incorporated (American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus) is a provider of supplemental insurance products designed to help policyholders manage out-of-pocket health care and living expenses. The company underwrites a range of individual and group policies that typically pay cash benefits directly to insureds when covered events occur, enabling greater financial flexibility for medical treatment, hospital stays, critical illness, and related costs. Aflac’s product mix includes supplemental health insurance, life insurance and other specialty coverages intended to complement primary medical plans.

Founded in the mid-20th century and headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, Aflac distributes its products through a combination of employer-sponsored programs, independent brokers and agents, and direct marketing.