Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Shares Bought by Steel Grove Capital Advisors LLC

Steel Grove Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 1,337.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,157 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 40,155 shares during the period. Aflac accounts for approximately 0.6% of Steel Grove Capital Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Steel Grove Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Aflac were worth $4,464,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Aflac by 75.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 776,131 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $88,533,000 after acquiring an additional 333,083 shares during the last quarter. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $948,000. Willis Investment Counsel raised its holdings in Aflac by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 273,466 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,287,000 after buying an additional 3,357 shares during the period. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in Aflac in the fourth quarter worth $1,014,000. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its stake in Aflac by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 108,405 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,213,000 after buying an additional 5,731 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.63, for a total transaction of $107,630.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 25,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,733,048.59. This trade represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 49,962 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,360,422.98. The trade was a 37.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Aflac Stock Down 1.1 %

NYSE:AFL traded down $1.18 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $107.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,829,748 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,119,592. The company has a market capitalization of $58.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $107.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.11. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $80.59 and a 12 month high of $115.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.10.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Aflac from $109.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Aflac from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Aflac from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $103.93.

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.