Swedbank AB Reduces Stock Holdings in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Swedbank AB reduced its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 276,878 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 11,336 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Aflac were worth $30,531,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AFL. Stephens Inc. AR lifted its stake in shares of Aflac by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 21,945 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,420,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its holdings in Aflac by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 19,088 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,105,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Aflac by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 11,923 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,315,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp boosted its holdings in Aflac by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 9,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,088,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp boosted its holdings in Aflac by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 2,939 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $117.78 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $112.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $111.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Aflac Incorporated has a 52 week low of $96.95 and a 52 week high of $119.81.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. Aflac’s quarterly revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.66 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 31,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.66, for a total transaction of $3,718,056.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 51,393,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,046,905,674.70. This trade represents a 0.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Arthur Reginald Collins sold 2,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.55, for a total transaction of $268,065.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $720,978.30. The trade was a 27.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 814,028 shares of company stock worth $91,815,931. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on AFL shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Aflac from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Mizuho set a $104.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, May 4th. Evercore raised shares of Aflac from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Aflac presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.82.

Aflac Company 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.