Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC Cuts Position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC reduced its stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 8.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 49,955 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 4,645 shares during the period. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC's holdings in Aflac were worth $5,554,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $349,699,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Aflac by 12,313.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,504,067 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $167,237,000 after purchasing an additional 1,491,951 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 22.9% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,296,014 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $754,700,000 after acquiring an additional 1,357,753 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 51,340,298 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,310,640,000 after purchasing an additional 653,275 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of Aflac by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,250,905 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $543,154,000 after purchasing an additional 556,394 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Aflac Price Performance

Aflac stock traded up $0.31 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $102.22. 2,123,918 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,155,824. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $103.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $105.25. The company has a market cap of $55.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.97, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.81. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $90.38 and a 52-week high of $115.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.09 and a current ratio of 0.09.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.67 by ($0.01). Aflac had a net margin of 21.27% and a return on equity of 15.55%. The business had revenue of $3.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.66 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 37.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 21st were given a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 21st. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. Aflac's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In related news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.79, for a total value of $106,790.00. Following the sale, the director owned 26,096 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,786,791.84. This trade represents a 3.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Arthur Reginald Collins sold 2,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.70, for a total transaction of $290,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,728 shares in the company, valued at $711,149.60. The trade was a 29.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 40,750 shares of company stock worth $4,304,295. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on AFL shares. Raymond James Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Aflac from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Aflac from $104.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Aflac from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Aflac currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.07.

Aflac Company 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.