Aflac Incorporated $AFL Shares Sold by AMF Tjanstepension AB

AMF Tjanstepension AB lowered its position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 38.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 222,535 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 137,824 shares during the quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB’s holdings in Aflac were worth $24,857,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 1.3% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 181,310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $20,252,000 after purchasing an additional 2,340 shares during the period. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Aflac by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,683 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $858,000 after buying an additional 452 shares during the last quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lifted its stake in Aflac by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 196,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $21,916,000 after acquiring an additional 2,300 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its stake in Aflac by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 46,208 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,161,000 after acquiring an additional 5,158 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,590 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 15,862 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total value of $1,776,544.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 230,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,837,056. This trade represents a 6.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 5,492 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.53, for a total transaction of $601,538.76. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 38,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,202,447.04. The trade was a 12.52% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 31,766 shares of company stock worth $3,549,706. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Trading Down 1.1%

AFL stock opened at $107.08 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $96.95 and a 52-week high of $115.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market cap of $56.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.98, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.67. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $109.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $107.98.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.72. The company had revenue of $4.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.36 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 14.97% and a net margin of 23.55%.Aflac’s quarterly revenue was up 59.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Aflac from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Aflac from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $110.64.

Aflac Profile

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.