Aflac Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:AFL)

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock traders purchased 4,890 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 133% compared to the average volume of 2,099 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.96, for a total value of $2,141,528.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 52,241,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,796,716,840. The trade was a 0.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 15,590 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.93, for a total transaction of $1,713,808.70. Following the sale, the director directly owned 62,237 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,841,713.41. This trade represents a 20.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 235,077 shares of company stock worth $25,690,082 in the last 90 days. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 188.5% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 225 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AFL. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “hold” rating and set a $113.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 target price on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Mizuho set a $107.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Barclays set a $101.00 price target on shares of Aflac and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $112.00.

Aflac Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of AFL stock traded up $2.44 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $108.85. 676,403 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,398,047. 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 has a 1 year low of $96.95 and a 1 year high of $119.32. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $111.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.38. The stock has a market cap of $56.08 billion, a PE ratio of 15.81, a PEG ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.66.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.12). Aflac had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 21.24%.The business had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.45 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. Aflac’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Aflac will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

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.