BOSTON (TheStreet) -- U.S. stocks gained Wednesday as wholesale inventories declined marginally. Here are three insurance stocks that hit 52-week highs.

3. Aflac

(AFL) - Get Report

rose 2.4% to $52.46, hitting a high of $52.50. Shares of the life and health insurer have gained 11% in the past month.

Quarter

: Fourth-quarter profit increased 28% to $252 million, or 53 cents a share, as revenue climbed 7.9% to $4.6 billion. Aflac's operating margin inched up from 7.2% to 8%. Its balance sheet contains $3.1 billion of cash and $2.6 billion of debt.

Stock

: Aflac has quadrupled in the past year, outperforming U.S. indices. The stock trades at a price-to-projected-earnings ratio of 8.8, a 29% discount to its peer-group average. It's expensive based on trailing earnings, book value and sales.

Consensus

: Eight analysts covering Aflac recommend purchasing its shares and 11 advise holding them.

Morgan Stanley

(MS) - Get Report

expects Aflac to rise 24% to $65.

TheStreet's

stock model, which evaluates fundamentals and performance, rates Aflac "hold."

2. Prudential Financial

(PRU) - Get Report

increased 0.7% to $55.81, touching a high of $56.60. Shares of the life and health insurer have advanced 14% during the past month.

Quarter

: Prudential swung to a fourth-quarter profit of $1.9 billion, or $3.78, from a loss of $1.6 billion, or $3.92, a year earlier. Revenue increased 25% to $8.7 billion. The operating margin climbed from negative territory to 13%. Prudential holds $46 billion of cash and $30 billion of debt.

Stock

: Prudential Financial has quadrupled in the past year, beating major benchmarks. The stock sells for a price-to-projected-earnings ratio of 8.5, a 31% discount to the industry average. It's also cheap based on book value, sales and cash flow.

Consensus

: Of the 20 firms following Prudential, 13 advocate purchasing its shares and the rest say to hold them.

Atlantic Equities

projects the stock will hit $77, implying 38% upside. Our stock model rates Prudential "hold."

1. MetLife

(MET) - Get Report

gained 2.4% to $41.78, hitting a high of $42.20. Shares of the life and health insurer have risen 20% in the past month.

Quarter

: Fourth-quarter profit tumbled 68% to $320 million, or 35 cents, as revenue fell 12% to $12 billion. MetLife's operating margin narrowed from 13% to 4.1%. Its balance sheet contains $28 billion of cash and $33 billion of debt.

Stock

: MetLife has nearly tripled in the past year, outpacing U.S. indices. The stock trades at a price-to-projected-earnings ratio of 8.1, a 34% discount to its peer-group average. It's also cheap based on book value, sales and cash flow.

Consensus

: Of analysts covering MetLife, 12 recommend purchasing shares, four advise holding and two advocate selling them. Our model rates MetLife "sell" because of recent losses and high debt.

-- Reported by Jake Lynch in Boston.