Mystic Asset Management Inc. Takes Position in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Mystic Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 14,234 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,669,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AFL. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Aflac during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Groupe la Francaise purchased a new position in Aflac during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the second quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AFL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho set a $116.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $138.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, August 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aflac has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $116.62.

Aflac Stock Performance

AFL stock opened at $116.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.12 and a quick ratio of 0.12. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $121.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $116.12. The company has a market capitalization of $58.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.45, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.60. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $104.66 and a 1-year high of $130.22.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.01). Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%.The business had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.78 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.15%.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 63,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.12, for a total value of $7,441,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,169,435 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,044,133,662.20. The trade was a 0.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 484,925 shares of company stock worth $56,869,948 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

More Aflac News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac continues to offer a defensive income profile, with 43 consecutive years of dividend increases. The company raised its quarterly dividend by 5.2% earlier this year, bringing the annualized payout to $2.44 per share and the yield to roughly 2.1%. This Dividend Stock Has a Realistic Shot at Becoming a Dividend King
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results were mixed: earnings per share of $1.75 narrowly missed estimates, while $4.22 billion in revenue exceeded forecasts. However, revenue declined 1% year over year and EPS fell from $1.78 in the prior-year period, limiting the earnings-related support for the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research began coverage at “underperform” with a $103 target, citing a valuation or outlook that appears less attractive than other analysts’ views. The target is below Aflac’s 200-day moving average and the current consensus target near $116. Wolfe Research Starts Aflac at Underperform
• Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings, a major Aflac shareholder, disclosed several sales totaling about 42,000 shares during August 14–18, including a $1.73 million sale on August 18. The transactions were executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and reduced its position by only about 0.03%, so the direct supply impact is limited, but the repeated selling may weigh on sentiment. Major AFLAC Stakeholder Makes Bold Move With High-Value Stock Sale

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.