Sage Private Wealth Group LLC Boosts Stock Position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Sage Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,019 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the quarter. Sage Private Wealth Group LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $416,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other Aflac news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total value of $2,558,529.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 222,618 shares in the company, valued at $23,018,701.20. This trade represents a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Aflac Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:AFL opened at $103.09 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.10. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $104.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $107.02. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $77.01 and a one year high of $115.50. The firm has a market cap of $57.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.99.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.07). Aflac had a return on equity of 16.20% and a net margin of 28.76%. Equities analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on AFL. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Aflac from $108.00 to $107.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Aflac from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Aflac in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $103.21.

Aflac 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.