Liberty One Investment Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Liberty One Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 32.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,038 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,004 shares during the quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $7,265,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Aflac by 11.9% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 93,449 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,856,000 after purchasing an additional 9,907 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its position in shares of Aflac by 14.5% during the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 222,694 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $23,485,000 after purchasing an additional 28,190 shares during the last quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its holdings in 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 valued at $14,857,000 after buying an additional 6,400 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in Aflac by 8.2% in the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,652,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $174,273,000 after buying an additional 124,706 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Aflac by 16.7% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,167,886 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $439,545,000 after buying an additional 594,971 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $104.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $119.00 target price (up previously from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $110.67.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In other news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 15,862 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total transaction of $1,776,544.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 230,688 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,837,056. This trade represents a 6.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 786 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.75, for a total transaction of $89,407.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 24,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,824,298.75. This trade represents a 3.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 31,766 shares of company stock valued at $3,549,706. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Trading Down 0.3%

AFL stock opened at $108.90 on Tuesday. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $96.95 and a 12 month high of $115.83. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $110.67 and its 200 day moving average is $107.72. The company has a market capitalization of $57.08 billion, a PE ratio of 14.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter. Aflac had a net margin of 23.55% and a return on equity of 14.97%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 18th. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.29%.

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.