Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $493.05 Million Holdings in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,414,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 310,220 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Aflac were worth $493,047,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AFL. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the second quarter worth about $432,201,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Aflac by 16.7% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,167,886 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $439,545,000 after acquiring an additional 594,971 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in Aflac by 459.0% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 701,390 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $73,969,000 after acquiring an additional 575,915 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Aflac by 146.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 772,061 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $81,422,000 after acquiring an additional 458,551 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 65.5% in the second quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 975,357 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $102,861,000 after purchasing an additional 385,955 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on AFL shares. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $119.00 target price (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Barclays set a $101.00 target price on Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price target on Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.73.

Aflac Stock Up 0.0%

Aflac stock opened at $112.45 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $111.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $58.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.66. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $96.95 and a twelve month high of $119.32.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 7,387 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.58, for a total value of $839,015.46. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 16,331 shares of company stock valued at $1,817,720 over the last three months. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.