Aflac Incorporated $AFL Holdings Boosted by UniSuper Management Pty Ltd

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 46,208 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,158 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Aflac were worth $5,161,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AFL. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in Aflac by 188.5% during 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 during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its position in Aflac by 1,526.7% during the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the period. Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Hilltop National Bank acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler set a $125.00 price target on shares of Aflac and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Raymond James Financial reissued 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. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $104.00 price target on the stock. Barclays set a $101.00 price objective on Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Aflac from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.64.

Aflac Trading Down 1.1%

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

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced 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%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 59.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 a positive change 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 payout ratio is 30.29%.

Insider Activity

In other Aflac news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 15,862 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 owned 230,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,837,056. The trade was a 6.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.00, for a total transaction of $114,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 23,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,692,110. This trade represents a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 31,766 shares of company stock worth $3,549,706. 0.80% of the stock is 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.