Kestra Advisory Services LLC Has $6.86 Million Holdings in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 40.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 62,565 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,998 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $6,864,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Stephens Inc. AR lifted its position in Aflac by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 21,945 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,420,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $234,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 19,088 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,105,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Aflac by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $902,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Confluence Wealth Services Inc. raised 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 acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 27,845 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.71, for a total value of $3,249,789.95. Following the transaction, the insider owned 50,898,490 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,940,362,767.90. This represents a 0.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 12,370 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.54, for a total transaction of $1,441,599.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 33,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,881,947.40. This represents a 27.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 744,916 shares of company stock valued at $87,118,632. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Aflac Price Performance

NYSE:AFL opened at $122.14 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.61. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $96.95 and a 12-month high of $124.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $117.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.47.

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

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th were given a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on AFL shares. Weiss Ratings cut Aflac from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Barclays dropped their price objective on Aflac from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $114.50.

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.