4,046 Shares in Aflac Incorporated $AFL Acquired by Hilltop Holdings Inc.

Hilltop Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 4,046 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $444,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Aflac by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,142,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,301,056,000 after purchasing an additional 6,759,169 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth about $420,078,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 161.9% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,184,801 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $349,405,000 after buying an additional 1,968,738 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 1,184.5% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,264,090 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $141,199,000 after buying an additional 1,165,676 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in Aflac by 390.7% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,111,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $122,588,000 after buying an additional 885,141 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Aflac Price Performance

NYSE:AFL opened at $126.61 on Tuesday. Aflac Incorporated has a 52 week low of $96.95 and a 52 week high of $126.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $118.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $114.31. The firm has a market cap of $64.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.61.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.05). Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.66 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 12,370 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.54, for a total value of $1,441,599.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 33,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,881,947.40. The trade was a 27.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 27,845 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.71, for a total value of $3,249,789.95. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 50,898,490 shares in the company, valued at $5,940,362,767.90. This represents a 0.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 744,916 shares of company stock valued at $87,118,632. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on AFL shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Aflac from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Aflac from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $108.00 target price (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and set a $110.00 price target (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $116.17.

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.