Mutual Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Mutual Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,340 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 701 shares during the period. Mutual Advisors LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $1,731,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Aflac Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $104.82 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $75.07 and a 12-month high of $115.50. The company has a market cap of $58.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $106.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $105.70.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.30 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 22.02% and a return on equity of 16.34%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 40.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a $0.58 dividend. This is a boost from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFL has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Aflac from $103.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Aflac from $114.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Aflac in a report on Thursday. They set a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $102.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other Aflac news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 222,618 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,018,701.20. This represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Aflac 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.