Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Trims Position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. reduced its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 97,643 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 699 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Aflac were worth $10,100,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AFL. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new stake in Aflac in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Curio Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Raelipskie Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on AFL. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Aflac from $107.00 to $104.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Aflac in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Aflac from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Aflac currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $103.36.

Aflac Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE:AFL opened at $109.70 on Tuesday. Aflac Incorporated has a 52 week low of $79.31 and a 52 week high of $115.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market cap of $59.96 billion, a PE ratio of 11.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.93. The business’s 50 day moving average is $106.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.61.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.07). Aflac had a return on equity of 16.20% and a net margin of 28.76%. On average, analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In other news, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.29, for a total value of $3,197,456.58. Following the sale, the director now owns 49,962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,360,422.98. The trade was a 37.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total transaction of $2,558,529.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 222,618 shares in the company, valued at $23,018,701.20. The trade was a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 55,546 shares of company stock valued at $5,863,616. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Aflac Profile

Aflac Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, provides supplemental health and life insurance products. The company operates through Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. segments. The Aflac Japan segment offers cancer, medical, nursing care, work leave, GIFT, and whole and term life insurance products, as well as WAYS and child endowment plans under saving type insurance products in Japan.