Aflac Incorporated $AFL Shares Sold by Strs Ohio

Strs Ohio lessened its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 20.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 114,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 29,017 shares during the period. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Aflac were worth $12,827,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its holdings in Aflac by 11.9% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 93,449 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,856,000 after purchasing an additional 9,907 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Aflac by 3.8% in the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,768,705 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $196,662,000 after purchasing an additional 65,308 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Aflac by 31.0% in the third quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 55,022 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,146,000 after purchasing an additional 13,017 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Aflac by 8.2% in the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,652,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $174,273,000 after buying an additional 124,706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 140,874 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $14,857,000 after buying an additional 6,400 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Performance

NYSE:AFL opened at $107.08 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11. The firm has a market cap of $56.12 billion, a PE ratio of 13.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $109.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.02. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $115.83.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.72. The firm had revenue of $4.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.36 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 23.55% and a return on equity of 14.97%. Aflac’s revenue for the quarter was up 59.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be given a $0.61 dividend. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 18th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on AFL shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $104.00 price target on the stock. Piper Sandler set a $125.00 price target on shares of Aflac and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 target price on Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aflac currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.00, for a total transaction of $114,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 23,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,692,110. This represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Frederic Jean Guy Simard sold 1,722 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.50, for a total value of $193,725.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $153,450. The trade was a 55.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 31,766 shares of company stock valued at $3,549,706. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.