Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 39,788 Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Natixis Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 13.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 260,842 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 39,788 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $26,981,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the third quarter worth $34,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $108.47 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $105.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $107.67. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $79.31 and a fifty-two week high of $115.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.10 and a quick ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market cap of $59.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.93.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Aflac from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Aflac from $107.00 to $104.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Aflac in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $103.36.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other Aflac news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.63, for a total value of $107,630.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 25,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,733,048.59. This trade represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.29, for a total transaction of $3,197,456.58. Following the sale, the director now owns 49,962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,360,422.98. The trade was a 37.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 55,546 shares of company stock worth $5,863,616. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

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.