Atomi Financial Group Inc. Sells 251 Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Atomi Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 12,238 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 251 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Aflac were worth $1,266,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AFL. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the third quarter worth about $38,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 41.8% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in Aflac during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $51,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Aflac Stock Down 0.1 %

AFL opened at $106.36 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $106.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $105.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.08. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $75.07 and a twelve month high of $115.50. The firm has a market cap of $59.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.02, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.00.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.47. Aflac had a net margin of 22.02% and a return on equity of 16.34%. The firm had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.84 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 40.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. This is a boost from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $102.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Aflac from $114.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays upped their price target on Aflac from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Aflac from $103.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $102.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In related news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total value of $2,558,529.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 222,618 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,018,701.20. The trade was a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Company Profile

Aflac Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, provides supplemental health and life insurance products. The company operates through Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. segments. The Aflac Japan segment offers cancer, medical, nursing care, work leave, GIFT, and whole and term life insurance products, as well as WAYS and child endowment plans under saving type insurance products in Japan.