Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI Has $24.87 Million Stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI cut its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 240,468 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,973 shares during the quarter. Aflac comprises 2.0% of Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s holdings in Aflac were worth $24,874,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Aflac by 75.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 776,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $88,533,000 after purchasing an additional 333,083 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Aflac by 79.7% in the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 27,354 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,058,000 after buying an additional 12,131 shares during the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Aflac in the 3rd quarter valued at about $979,000. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth approximately $948,000. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 4.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,202,104 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $134,395,000 after acquiring an additional 45,745 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Performance

NYSE AFL opened at $108.48 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $105.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $107.72. The stock has a market cap of $59.29 billion, a PE ratio of 11.30, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.10. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $79.31 and a fifty-two week high of $115.50.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 16.20% and a net margin of 28.76%. On average, equities analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AFL has been the subject of several research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Aflac from $107.00 to $104.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price 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. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Aflac from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Aflac from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Aflac in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $103.36.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total transaction 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

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.