Welch Group LLC Sells 11,799 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• Welch Group LLC cut its Aflac stake by 18.0% in Q4, selling 11,799 shares and retaining 53,635 shares valued at about $5.914 million.
• Aflac missed quarterly expectations, reporting $1.57 EPS versus a $1.69 consensus and revenue of $4.28 billion, down 9.6% year‑over‑year; analysts project ~6.88 EPS for the year.
• Major shareholder Post Holdings sold 166,000 shares for ~$18.66 million under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan, part of insiders selling 572,632 shares (~$63.5M) in the past three months, while institutional ownership stands at ~67.44% and insider ownership at ~0.80%.

Welch Group LLC decreased its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 18.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 53,635 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 11,799 shares during the quarter. Welch Group LLC's holdings in Aflac were worth $5,914,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew 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 buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Aflac by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 324 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the third quarter valued at about $45,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Stock Up 0.6%

AFL stock opened at $113.65 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $96.95 and a twelve month high of $119.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market cap of $58.55 billion, a PE ratio of 16.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.66. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $111.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $110.60.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total value of $18,655,080.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 51,723,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,812,641,978. The trade was a 0.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 three months. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AFL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Aflac from $118.00 to $116.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $119.00 price objective (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $111.82.

About Aflac

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AFL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.