OneAscent Financial Services LLC Boosts Stock Position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

OneAscent Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 16.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,349 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $243,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 75.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 776,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $88,533,000 after acquiring an additional 333,083 shares during the last quarter. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $948,000. Willis Investment Counsel lifted its stake in shares of Aflac by 1.2% in the 4th 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 shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,014,000. Finally, Czech National Bank increased its position in shares of Aflac by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 108,405 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,213,000 after purchasing an additional 5,731 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In other Aflac news, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.29, for a total value of $3,197,456.58. Following the completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.63, for a total transaction of $107,630.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 25,393 shares in the company, valued at $2,733,048.59. This represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of AFL opened at $101.94 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.10. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $106.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $107.71. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $79.31 and a fifty-two week high of $115.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.64 billion, a PE ratio of 10.62, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.81.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.07). Aflac had a return on equity of 16.20% and a net margin of 28.76%. Equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on AFL shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. UBS Group lifted 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Aflac from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Aflac in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 price target for the company. Two equities research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $104.29.

Aflac Company Profile

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.