Rice Partnership LLC Reduces Position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Rice Partnership LLC trimmed its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 15,038 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 110 shares during the period. Rice Partnership LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $1,556,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership purchased a new stake in Aflac in the third quarter valued at $38,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Aflac by 41.8% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in Aflac in the third quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac in the third quarter valued at $51,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other Aflac news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 222,618 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,018,701.20. This represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Aflac Stock Down 0.9 %

AFL stock opened at $107.31 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $59.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.16, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $75.07 and a 12 month high of $115.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $105.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.55.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a $0.58 dividend. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on AFL shares. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $102.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $115.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $103.71.

About Aflac

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.