Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Stock Position Lessened by Capital Advisors Inc. OK

Capital Advisors Inc. OK reduced its stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 67.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,181 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,423 shares during the quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK’s holdings in Aflac were worth $226,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its stake in shares of Aflac by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 252,137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,206,000 after acquiring an additional 29,602 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Aflac during the third quarter worth approximately $998,000. QV Investors Inc. lifted its position in Aflac by 0.6% in the third quarter. QV Investors Inc. now owns 45,350 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,070,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. Bill Few Associates Inc. bought a new position in Aflac during the 3rd quarter valued at $218,000. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in Aflac by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 50,379 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,632,000 after purchasing an additional 1,509 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $102.98 on Thursday. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $77.01 and a 12 month high of $115.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $57.21 billion, a PE ratio of 10.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $104.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $107.07.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 EPS 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%. On average, sell-side 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 is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. Aflac’s payout ratio is presently 20.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 222,618 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,018,701.20. This represents a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on AFL shares. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Aflac in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Aflac from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $103.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $103.00.

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.