Quantinno Capital Management LP Acquires 71,074 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 15.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 519,634 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 71,074 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP’s holdings in Aflac were worth $57,009,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AFL. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Evergreen Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Navalign LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $128.77 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $65.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.61. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $96.95 and a 12-month high of $130.22. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $119.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $114.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. Analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 63,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.12, for a total value of $7,441,560.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,169,435 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,044,133,662.20. The trade was a 0.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 744,916 shares of company stock worth $87,118,632 in the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AFL. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $108.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Aflac from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Aflac from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Aflac from $108.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.17.

Aflac Company 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.