Xponance Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Xponance Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 78,574 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,760 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Aflac were worth $8,777,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 16.7% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,167,886 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $439,545,000 after acquiring an additional 594,971 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at about $432,201,000. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in Aflac by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,768,705 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $196,662,000 after purchasing an additional 65,308 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,731,482 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $193,407,000 after purchasing an additional 163,791 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 5.4% during the second quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 1,569,600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $165,530,000 after buying an additional 81,100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $112.75 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $96.95 and a fifty-two week high of $119.32. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $111.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $109.98. The firm has a market cap of $58.22 billion, a PE ratio of 16.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.67.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 21.24%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 7,387 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 40,526 shares in the company, valued at $4,602,943.08. This trade represents a 15.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 16,331 shares of company stock worth $1,817,720. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Mizuho set a $107.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Barclays set a $101.00 price objective on Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price objective on Aflac in a report on Monday, December 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.