Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Stock Position Trimmed by Edmp Inc.

Edmp Inc. cut its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 44,623 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,802 shares during the period. Aflac makes up 4.4% of Edmp Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. Edmp Inc.’s holdings in Aflac were worth $4,616,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership purchased a new stake in Aflac in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Aflac by 41.8% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the third quarter valued at $51,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AFL shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Aflac from $103.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Aflac in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Aflac from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $103.21.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In related news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 222,618 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,018,701.20. The trade was a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $102.57 on Tuesday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $104.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.96. The company has a market cap of $56.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.68, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.99. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $77.01 and a one year high of $115.50.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by ($0.07). Aflac had a net margin of 28.76% and a return on equity of 16.20%. On average, research analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.95 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This is a positive change from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Aflac’s payout ratio is presently 24.17%.

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.