Vise Technologies Inc. Makes New Investment in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 15,395 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,624,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AFL. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at about $140,746,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the second quarter worth about $60,954,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 146.3% in the second quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 772,061 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $81,422,000 after purchasing an additional 458,551 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 133.2% in the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 758,424 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $84,329,000 after purchasing an additional 433,134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Guinness Asset Management LTD grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 19.4% in the second quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD now owns 2,372,484 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $250,187,000 after purchasing an additional 385,546 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $113.76 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $109.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $105.78. The company has a market capitalization of $59.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.83. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $96.95 and a 1 year high of $115.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter. Aflac had a return on equity of 15.08% and a net margin of 15.32%. On average, analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, August 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase 100,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 18th. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is 30.29%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Frederic Jean Guy Simard sold 1,722 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.50, for a total value of $193,725.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $153,450. This trade represents a 55.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on AFL. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Aflac from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Aflac from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Aflac from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Aflac from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.50.

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.