Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Shares Bought by Mcdonald Partners LLC

Mcdonald Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 23,403 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $2,421,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 13.3% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 252,137 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,206,000 after acquiring an additional 29,602 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in Aflac by 1.3% during the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 306,123 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,225,000 after purchasing an additional 3,845 shares during the period. New Century Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Aflac by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 4,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $469,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Aflac by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,132 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $462,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. Finally, Compass Ion Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $202,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of AFL opened at $103.46 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $78.38 and a fifty-two week high of $115.50. The company has a market cap of $57.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.78, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $104.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.26.

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

Aflac Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. This is a positive change from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Truist Financial raised their target price on Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Aflac from $107.00 to $104.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Aflac from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Aflac in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $103.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other Aflac news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,018,701.20. This represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Aflac

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.