Cascade Financial Partners LLC Increases Stock Position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Cascade Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,837 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Cascade Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $1,431,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total value of $2,558,529.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 222,618 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,018,701.20. This trade represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.29, for a total transaction of $3,197,456.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 49,962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,360,422.98. The trade was a 37.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 55,546 shares of company stock valued at $5,863,616 over the last three months. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Aflac Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE AFL opened at $106.35 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $105.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $107.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $58.13 billion, a PE ratio of 11.08, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.93. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $79.31 and a 12 month high of $115.50.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.07). Aflac had a return on equity of 16.20% and a net margin of 28.76%. Equities research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AFL shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com raised shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Aflac from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $103.36.

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.