Marco Investment Management LLC Has $7.72 Million Holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Marco Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 93,538 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,300 shares during the quarter. Marco Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $7,717,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AFL. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Price Performance

NYSE AFL traded down $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $83.61. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,839,028 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,169,786. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $64.10 and a 1-year high of $86.26. The company’s 50-day moving average is $82.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.06 and a quick ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.91.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.22). Aflac had a net margin of 24.92% and a return on equity of 17.59%. The company had revenue of $3.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.29 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.41 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Thomas J. Kenny sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.62, for a total value of $423,100.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,920 shares in the company, valued at $1,516,390.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Albert Riggieri sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.34, for a total value of $666,720.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 32,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,735,635.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Thomas J. Kenny sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.62, for a total value of $423,100.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,516,390.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 46,493 shares of company stock worth $3,765,706 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AFL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James upped their price target on Aflac from $83.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Evercore ISI downgraded Aflac from an “in-line” rating to an “underperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $76.00 to $78.00 in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Aflac from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. StockNews.com cut Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Aflac from $83.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $82.15.

Aflac 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.