Vest Financial LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Vest Financial LLC lessened its position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 4.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 735,924 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 34,104 shares during the period. Aflac makes up approximately 1.1% of Vest Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $82,203,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Aflac by 11.9% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 93,449 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,856,000 after buying an additional 9,907 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,768,705 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $196,662,000 after acquiring an additional 65,308 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in Aflac by 31.0% during the 3rd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 55,022 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,146,000 after acquiring an additional 13,017 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 14.5% during the second quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 222,694 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $23,485,000 after purchasing an additional 28,190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its holdings in Aflac by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 140,874 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,857,000 after buying an additional 6,400 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $109.19 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.67. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $110.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $107.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $115.83.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.72. The business had revenue of $4.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.36 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 14.97% and a net margin of 23.55%.The firm’s revenue was up 59.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.16 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. This is a boost from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on AFL shares. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Aflac from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Aflac from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aflac has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In related news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.00, for a total value of $114,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,692,110. This trade represents a 4.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 5,492 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.53, for a total value of $601,538.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 38,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,202,447.04. This trade represents a 12.52% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 31,766 shares of company stock worth $3,549,706. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

About Aflac

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.