North Dakota State Investment Board Makes New $1.84 Million Investment in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 16,712 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,843,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. BIP Wealth LLC raised its stake in Aflac by 348.3% in the 4th quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 55,723 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,145,000 after purchasing an additional 43,293 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in Aflac by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,731,482 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $193,407,000 after purchasing an additional 163,791 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its stake in Aflac by 126.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 21,345 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,384,000 after purchasing an additional 11,903 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in 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 worth $206,712,000 after purchasing an additional 97,766 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in Aflac by 12.0% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 97,344 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,841,000 after purchasing an additional 10,423 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 23,500 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.85, for a total transaction of $2,745,975.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 51,516,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,019,684,913.25. The trade was a 0.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 600 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.73, for a total transaction of $68,238.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 25,368 shares in the company, valued at $2,885,102.64. This trade represents a 2.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 698,115 shares of company stock worth $78,057,526 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $118.38 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.25 billion, a PE ratio of 13.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $112.02 and its 200 day moving average is $111.45. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $96.95 and a 1 year high of $119.81.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.66 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s payout ratio is 27.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on AFL shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho set a $104.00 target price on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Aflac from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Aflac presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.36.

Trending Headlines about 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.

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.