Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Has $35.23 Million Stock Position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 73.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 340,605 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 923,526 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $35,232,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Raelipskie Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the third quarter worth $38,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Stock Performance

NYSE AFL opened at $109.71 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $79.31 and a twelve month high of $115.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $59.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.43, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.93. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $106.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.66.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AFL. Barclays cut their price target on Aflac from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $107.00 to $104.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $103.36.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.63, for a total transaction of $107,630.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 25,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,733,048.59. This represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.29, for a total value 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. This represents a 37.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

About Aflac

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.