Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Acquires 15,740 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• Mirae Asset Global Investments increased its stake in Aflac by 17.3%, purchasing 15,740 shares to hold 106,716 shares worth about $11.77 million per its latest SEC filing.
• Major shareholder Post Holdings Japan sold 166,000 Aflac shares at an average $112.38 (≈$18.66M) under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan; insiders have sold 572,632 shares in the past 90 days and now own 0.80% of the stock.
• Analysts are mixed with a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $111.82, and Aflac recently missed quarterly estimates (EPS $1.57 vs. $1.69) with revenue down 9.6% year‑over‑year.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 17.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 106,716 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 15,740 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Aflac were worth $11,768,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Courier Capital LLC boosted its stake in Aflac by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 2,597 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its stake in Aflac by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,037 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Stiles Financial Services Inc boosted its stake in Aflac by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 3,169 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $354,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Berkeley Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Aflac by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,669 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,303,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays set a $101.00 price target on Aflac and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Raymond James Financial restated 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. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b+)" rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Aflac from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Aflac presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $111.82.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total transaction of $18,655,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,723,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,812,641,978. This represents a 0.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 572,632 shares of company stock worth $63,514,634. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Aflac Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE AFL opened at $114.51 on Monday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $58.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.64, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $111.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $110.61.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The firm's revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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