Insider Selling: Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Director Sells 2,750 Shares of Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Director Arthur Reginald Collins sold 2,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.70, for a total transaction of $290,675.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $711,149.60. This trade represents a 29.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Aflac Stock Performance

NYSE AFL traded down $0.07 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $106.75. The stock had a trading volume of 420,496 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,990,110. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $86.46 and a 52-week high of $115.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $107.00 and a 200 day moving average of $106.47. 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 stock has a market cap of $57.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.84.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.67 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $3.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.53 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 28.76% and a return on equity of 16.20%. The firm’s revenue was down 37.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.66 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 21st will be issued a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 21st. Aflac’s payout ratio is 36.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on AFL shares. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Aflac in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Aflac from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Barclays boosted their price target on Aflac from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $118.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $104.57.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. AlphaCore Capital LLC purchased a new position in Aflac during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Aflac by 121.9% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 304 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Aflac during the first quarter worth $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% 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.