Handelsbanken Fonder AB Buys 13,149 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 9.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 155,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,149 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Aflac were worth $17,153,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Aflac by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 787,115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $86,795,000 after buying an additional 24,640 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its position in shares of Aflac by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 6,768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $746,000 after buying an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Aflac by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 2,037 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC raised its position in shares of Aflac by 716.1% during the fourth quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 17,465 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,926,000 after buying an additional 15,325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,843,000. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of AFL opened at $117.28 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $112.17 and its 200 day moving average is $111.53. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $96.95 and a fifty-two week high of $119.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.69 billion, a PE ratio of 13.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.88% and a net margin of 25.60%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s payout ratio is presently 27.70%.

Aflac News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks said the accident and health insurance industry remains attractive, citing benefits from rising underwriting exposure and faster digitalization, which is supportive for Aflac and peers. Article: Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights Aflac, Unum, Globe Life, Trupanion and Employers
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share reinforces its appeal to income investors and may help support the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Aflac’s latest earnings call highlighted strength in Japan, suggesting underlying business momentum even though the most recent EPS report missed expectations. Article: Aflac Earnings Call Highlights Japan Surge and Strength
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling has weighed on sentiment, including a recent $4.9 million sale by insiders and additional share sales by major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan. Article: Aflac Insiders Sell US$4.9m Of Stock, Possibly Signalling Caution
• Negative Sentiment: Director Thomas Kenny also sold shares, adding to concerns that insiders may be taking profits after the stock’s recent strength. Article: Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Director Sells $202,831.80 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may also stay cautious because Aflac’s last reported EPS missed analyst estimates, even though revenue came in ahead of expectations.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AFL. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Aflac from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Aflac from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total transaction of $18,655,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,723,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,812,641,978. The trade was a 0.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 739,815 shares of company stock worth $82,996,891 over the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Aflac 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.