KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Acquires 50,200 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS raised its Aflac stake 16.2% in Q4, buying 50,200 shares to hold 360,670 shares (about 0.07%) worth roughly $39.8 million.
• Aflac missed Q4 expectations with EPS of $1.57 (vs. $1.69 expected) and revenue of $4.28 billion, down 9.6% year-over-year; the company trades at a P/E of 16.68 and has a market cap near $59.1 billion.
• Analysts' consensus rating is a "Hold" with an average price target of $111.82, while insiders sold 572,632 shares (~$63.5 million) over the last quarter, including a block sale by Post Holdings Japan.

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS boosted its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 16.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 360,670 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 50,200 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS owned 0.07% of Aflac worth $39,771,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in Aflac by 188.5% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 225 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Aflac by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 324 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Aflac in the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on AFL shares. Piper Sandler upgraded Aflac to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays set a $101.00 price objective on Aflac and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Aflac presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $111.82.

Aflac Stock Performance

AFL opened at $114.76 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $59.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.66. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $96.95 and a 52-week high of $119.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. The business's fifty day moving average is $111.31 and its 200-day moving average is $110.70.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 86,155 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.24, for a total value of $9,756,192.20. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 51,636,945 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,847,367,651.80. This trade represents a 0.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 572,632 shares of company stock valued at $63,514,634 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

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.

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