Aflac Incorporated $AFL Shares Sold by Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ cut its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 6.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 107,768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 7,014 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Aflac were worth $12,038,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its position in Aflac by 202.0% during the third quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 1,392 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $155,000 after purchasing an additional 931 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake 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 buying 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 valued at about $48,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 3.6% in 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 buying an additional 3,630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Aflac by 2.1% during the third quarter. Moment Partners LLC now owns 6,059 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $677,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 5,492 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.53, for a total value of $601,538.76. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 38,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,202,447.04. This trade represents a 12.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore increased their price target on shares of Aflac from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Mizuho set a $107.00 price target on Aflac in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 target price on Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $110.91.

Aflac Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $113.68 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $111.14 and a 200 day moving average of $109.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.52, a PEG ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.67. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $96.95 and a fifty-two week high of $119.32.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $4.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.45 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. Aflac’s revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

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.