Tredje AP fonden Cuts Holdings in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Tredje AP fonden lessened its stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 44.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 48,554 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 38,393 shares during the quarter. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in Aflac were worth $5,354,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AFL. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Aflac by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,142,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,301,056,000 after acquiring an additional 6,759,169 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Aflac by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,414,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $493,047,000 after acquiring an additional 310,220 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of Aflac by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,926,777 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $438,621,000 after purchasing an additional 13,666 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,631,876 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $297,583,000 after purchasing an additional 261,547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,866,471 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $206,712,000 after purchasing an additional 97,766 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac’s industry outlook remains favorable, with analysts citing benefits from rising underwriting exposure and faster digitalization in accident and health insurance. Article: 5 Stocks to Watch From Prospering Accident & Health Insurance Industry
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share underscores a steady shareholder-return profile, which can help support the stock for income-focused investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership remains high, and several funds recently added to positions, suggesting continued interest from larger investors.
• Negative Sentiment: A major shareholder, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan, sold about 23,500 to 24,500 shares in recent transactions under a pre-arranged trading plan, which may pressure sentiment. Article: SEC filing for Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sale
• Negative Sentiment: Director Thomas Kenny also sold 1,740 shares, adding to the impression of insider profit-taking after the stock’s recent strength. Article: SEC filing for Thomas J. Kenny sale
• Negative Sentiment: Even after a strong run, Aflac’s last earnings report missed EPS estimates, which may keep some investors cautious about near-term upside.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total value of $18,655,080.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 51,723,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,812,641,978. The trade was a 0.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 698,115 shares of company stock valued at $78,057,526. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on AFL shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Aflac from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Evercore upgraded Aflac from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Aflac from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.36.

Aflac Stock Performance

NYSE:AFL opened at $118.38 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $112.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $111.45. The company has a market capitalization of $60.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.62. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $96.95 and a twelve month high of $119.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.88% and a net margin of 25.60%.The firm’s revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.66 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s payout ratio is 27.70%.

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.