Aflac Incorporated $AFL Position Decreased by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D reduced its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 4.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 171,369 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,744 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Aflac were worth $19,142,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 762,475 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $85,169,000 after acquiring an additional 36,642 shares during the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 3rd quarter worth $48,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in shares of Aflac by 3.6% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 103,809 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,595,000 after purchasing an additional 3,630 shares during the period. Moment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 2.1% during the third quarter. Moment Partners LLC now owns 6,059 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $677,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 126.1% during the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 21,345 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,384,000 after purchasing an additional 11,903 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Aflac Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE AFL opened at $114.82 on Monday. 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 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $119.32. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $109.23. The company has a market capitalization of $60.18 billion, a PE ratio of 16.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.67.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $4.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In related news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 15,862 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total value of $1,776,544.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 230,688 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,837,056. This represents a 6.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 5,492 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.53, for a total transaction of $601,538.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 38,368 shares in the company, valued at $4,202,447.04. The trade was a 12.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 24,806 shares of company stock valued at $2,755,248 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Evercore raised their price objective on shares of Aflac from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $119.00 target price (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Mizuho set a $107.00 target price on Aflac in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.91.

Aflac 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.