Danske Bank A S Purchases New Holdings in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 299,406 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $33,444,000. Danske Bank A S owned 0.06% of Aflac at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 11,827 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,321,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Courier Capital LLC increased its holdings in Aflac by 3.9% during the third quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 2,597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $290,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Aflac by 5.1% during the third quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,037 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc raised its position in Aflac by 3.2% in the third quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 3,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $354,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Berkeley Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Aflac by 0.9% in the third quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,669 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,303,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Stock Down 1.5%

AFL opened at $107.89 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.66. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $96.95 and a one year high of $119.32. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $111.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $110.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 21.24%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 7,387 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.58, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 15.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 62,237 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,841,713.41. This trade represents a 20.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 151,077 shares of company stock worth $16,648,784 in the last ninety days. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AFL shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price objective on Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $119.00 price objective (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Three equities 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.73.

Aflac 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.