Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Director Miwako Hosoda Sells 243 Shares

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Director Miwako Hosoda sold 243 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.50, for a total value of $27,823.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 7,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $886,573.50. This trade represents a 3.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Aflac Stock Performance

NYSE:AFL traded up $0.15 during trading on Thursday, reaching $113.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,888,128 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,344,198. The firm has a market cap of $58.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $111.40 and a 200-day moving average of $110.92. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $96.95 and a 12 month high of $119.32.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.66 EPS. Research analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is 27.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays set a $99.00 price objective on Aflac and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Aflac from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings cut Aflac from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $111.36.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Evergreen Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% 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.