Raiffeisen Bank International AG Sells 11,175 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Raiffeisen Bank International AG decreased its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 74.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,844 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 11,175 shares during the period. Raiffeisen Bank International AG’s holdings in Aflac were worth $428,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Aflac in the 2nd quarter worth $432,201,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 16.7% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,167,886 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $439,545,000 after purchasing an additional 594,971 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in shares of Aflac by 459.0% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 701,390 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $73,969,000 after purchasing an additional 575,915 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Aflac by 146.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 772,061 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $81,422,000 after purchasing an additional 458,551 shares during the period. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its position in Aflac by 65.5% during the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 975,357 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $102,861,000 after purchasing an additional 385,955 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In related news, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 5,492 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $4,202,447.04. This represents a 12.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AFL shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Aflac from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $119.00 price objective (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Barclays set a $101.00 price objective on shares of Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 target price on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $110.91.

Aflac Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE:AFL opened at $114.07 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $111.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $109.74. The company has a market capitalization of $59.79 billion, a PE ratio of 16.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.67. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $119.32.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $4.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 21.24%.The company’s revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal 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.