Investors purchased shares of Aetna Inc (NYSE:AET) on weakness during trading on Friday following insider selling activity. $95.61 million flowed into the stock on the tick-up and $76.47 million flowed out of the stock on the tick-down, for a money net flow of $19.14 million into the stock. Of all companies tracked, Aetna had the 13th highest net in-flow for the day. Aetna traded down ($1.06) for the day and closed at $126.77Specifically, insider Shawn M. Guertin sold 29,602 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.35, for a total transaction of $3,829,018.70. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 44,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,805,228. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Francis S. Soistman, Jr. sold 6,607 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.98, for a total transaction of $871,991.86. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 23,454 shares in the company, valued at $3,095,458.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Several research firms have commented on AET. Jefferies Group LLC upped their price target on shares of Aetna to $133.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 1st. CIBC reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Aetna in a report on Monday, April 3rd. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Aetna from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 29th. Leerink Swann lowered shares of Aetna from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $135.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, January 24th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of Aetna in a report on Monday, February 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $136.65.
The firm has a market capitalization of $46.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.46 and a beta of 0.61. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $129.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $123.33.
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 13th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. This is a positive change from Aetna’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 11th. Aetna’s dividend payout ratio is 15.67%.
Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nationwide Fund Advisors raised its stake in Aetna by 71.4% in the first quarter. Nationwide Fund Advisors now owns 207,098 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,415,000 after buying an additional 86,247 shares during the period. CAPROCK Group Inc. raised its stake in Aetna by 0.9% in the first quarter. CAPROCK Group Inc. now owns 2,824 shares of the company’s stock worth $360,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Focused Investors LLC raised its stake in Aetna by 21.6% in the first quarter. Focused Investors LLC now owns 863,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,152,000 after buying an additional 153,600 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new stake in Aetna during the first quarter worth about $1,060,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment Corp IL bought a new stake in Aetna during the first quarter worth about $225,000. 88.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Aetna Company Profile
Aetna Inc is a diversified healthcare benefits company. The Company operates through three segments: Health Care, Group Insurance and Large Case Pensions. It offers a range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, medical management capabilities, Medicaid healthcare management services, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans, workers’ compensation administrative services and health information technology (HIT) products and services.
