NEOS Investment Management LLC Has $7.53 Million Stock Position in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

NEOS Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 40.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 67,374 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,368 shares during the quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $7,526,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in Aflac by 188.5% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 225 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 1,526.7% during the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Aflac by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Evercore upped their target price on Aflac from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Mizuho set a $107.00 target price on Aflac in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays set a $101.00 price target on Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $119.00 price objective (up previously from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aflac presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.91.

Aflac Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of AFL stock opened at $113.68 on Thursday. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $119.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $59.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.52, a PEG ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $111.14 and a 200-day moving average of $109.49.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its 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). The company had revenue of $4.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 14.35%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 9.6% 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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 5,492 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.53, for a total value of $601,538.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 38,368 shares in the company, valued at $4,202,447.04. The trade was a 12.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.