Aflac Incorporated $AFL Shares Sold by AE Wealth Management LLC

AE Wealth Management LLC lowered its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 2.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 289,394 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,739 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC owned about 0.05% of Aflac worth $32,325,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 188.5% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 225 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Aflac by 1,526.7% in the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $108.92 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $96.95 and a 1 year high of $115.83. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.22, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.67.

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

Aflac Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $0.61 per share. This is a boost from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AFL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays set a $101.00 target price on shares of Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Aflac from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Mizuho started coverage on Aflac in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $104.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.64.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Frederic Jean Guy Simard sold 1,722 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.50, for a total value of $193,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $153,450. This represents a 55.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 15,862 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total transaction of $1,776,544.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 230,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,837,056. The trade was a 6.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 31,766 shares of company stock valued at $3,549,706. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.