38,074 Shares in Aflac Incorporated $AFL Acquired by Andra AP fonden

Andra AP fonden bought a new position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 38,074 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,177,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Aflac by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,142,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,301,056,000 after buying an additional 6,759,169 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth $420,078,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Aflac by 1,184.5% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,264,090 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $141,199,000 after acquiring an additional 1,165,676 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Aflac by 390.7% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,111,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $122,588,000 after acquiring an additional 885,141 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Aflac by 132.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,227,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $137,078,000 after acquiring an additional 699,080 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Performance

AFL opened at $123.67 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $118.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market cap of $62.95 billion, a PE ratio of 14.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.61. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $96.95 and a 1 year high of $125.93.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). Aflac had a return on equity of 13.88% and a net margin of 25.60%.The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.66 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th were issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s payout ratio is presently 27.70%.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 27,845 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.71, for a total value of $3,249,789.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,898,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,940,362,767.90. This represents a 0.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 12,370 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.54, for a total value of $1,441,599.80. Following the transaction, the director owned 33,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,881,947.40. This trade represents a 27.08% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 744,916 shares of company stock worth $87,118,632. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Aflac from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Aflac from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $130.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Aflac from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $116.17.

Aflac Company 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.