Fox Run Management L.L.C. Takes $1.86 Million Position in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 16,618 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,856,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. MAI Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 102.4% during the third quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 28,501 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,184,000 after acquiring an additional 14,417 shares in the last quarter. GGM Financials LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 3rd quarter valued at $96,000. Waddell & Associates LLC raised its position in Aflac by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC now owns 13,082 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,461,000 after purchasing an additional 712 shares during the period. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in Aflac by 8.3% in the third quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 3,858 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rice Partnership LLC boosted its position in Aflac by 1.1% during the third quarter. Rice Partnership LLC now owns 14,395 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,608,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:AFL opened at $112.48 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $111.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $109.88. The stock has a market cap of $58.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.67. 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 Incorporated has a 12 month low of $96.95 and a 12 month 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 return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 21.24%.The company had revenue of $4.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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. Equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price objective on Aflac in a report on Monday, December 15th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $119.00 price target (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Barclays set a $101.00 price objective on Aflac and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aflac has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.91.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 7,387 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.58, for a total value of $839,015.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 40,526 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,602,943.08. This represents a 15.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders sold 16,331 shares of company stock valued at $1,817,720. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.