Aflac Incorporated $AFL Shares Bought by D.A. Davidson & CO.

D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 7.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 68,109 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,463 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Aflac were worth $7,472,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Performance

NYSE:AFL opened at $124.79 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $96.95 and a 12-month high of $125.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.52 billion, a PE ratio of 14.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $117.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.71.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). The business 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 business’s revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th were paid a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s payout ratio is 27.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other Aflac news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 12,370 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.54, for a total value of $1,441,599.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 33,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,881,947.40. This trade represents a 27.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 27,845 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.71, for a total transaction of $3,249,789.95. Following the transaction, the insider owned 50,898,490 shares in the company, valued at $5,940,362,767.90. This represents a 0.05% decrease in their position. 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 have sold 744,916 shares of company stock valued at $87,118,632 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Aflac from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings lowered Aflac from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Aflac currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $114.50.

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.