Trillium Asset Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Trillium Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 9.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 137,102 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 15,007 shares during the period. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $15,411,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Aflac by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,142,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,301,056,000 after purchasing an additional 6,759,169 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Aflac by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,483,205 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $494,385,000 after purchasing an additional 69,025 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in Aflac by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,926,777 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $438,621,000 after purchasing an additional 13,666 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth $420,078,000. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in Aflac by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,631,876 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $297,583,000 after purchasing an additional 261,547 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total value of $18,655,080.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 51,723,100 shares in the company, valued at $5,812,641,978. The trade was a 0.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 936,356 shares of company stock valued at $107,019,534. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of AFL stock opened at $117.56 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $96.95 and a 12 month high of $119.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.61. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $114.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.99.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.05). Aflac had a return on equity of 13.88% and a net margin of 25.60%.The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.66 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th were issued a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s payout ratio is currently 27.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AFL. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Evercore raised shares of Aflac from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Mizuho set a $104.00 price target on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $112.27.

More Aflac News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac continues to be viewed as a dependable income stock, supported by 44 consecutive years of dividend growth and a recently paid quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share. The “Duck Stock” Keeps Quietly Making Money for Shareholders
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive enough to keep Aflac on the radar as a stable insurance name, with recent commentary highlighting reliable returns from dividends, buybacks, and supplemental insurance growth. 3 Insurance Stocks Hitting 52-Week Highs With More Room to Run
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent market coverage describes Aflac as a steady, low-volatility insurer, but also suggests the stock’s quality may already be fairly priced in, limiting near-term upside. 4 Stocks Making New Highs Despite Market Weakness
• Negative Sentiment: Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan has continued trimming its Aflac stake through a series of insider sales in June, which may create some investor concern even though the trades were disclosed under a 10b5-1 plan. SEC Filing

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.