Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Decreases Holdings in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC reduced its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 19.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 252,663 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 60,205 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $28,288,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AFL. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 11,827 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,321,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Courier Capital LLC raised its stake in Aflac by 3.9% in the third quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 2,597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $290,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Aflac by 5.1% in the third quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,037 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc grew its stake in shares of Aflac by 3.2% during the third quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 3,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $354,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Berkeley Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Aflac by 0.9% during the third quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,669 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,303,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Stock Performance

AFL opened at $106.16 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $111.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $110.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.69 billion, a PE ratio of 15.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.66.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by ($0.12). Aflac had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 21.24%.The business had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.45 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 16,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.47, for a total transaction of $1,788,696.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 52,061,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,543,019,846. This trade represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 15,590 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.93, for a total value of $1,713,808.70. Following the transaction, the director owned 62,237 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,841,713.41. The trade was a 20.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 205,877 shares of company stock worth $22,568,556. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on AFL. Mizuho set a $107.00 target price on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays set a $101.00 price objective on shares of Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 target price on Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.73.

About Aflac

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.