Sigma Planning Corp Reduces Position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Sigma Planning Corp lowered its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 5.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,788 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 759 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Aflac were worth $1,542,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AFL. Spinnaker Trust increased its position in shares of Aflac by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Spinnaker Trust now owns 3,620 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $405,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Aflac by 1.0% in the third quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 9,783 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,094,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC raised its stake in Aflac by 0.6% during the second quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 17,231 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,539,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Aflac by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 21,775 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,945,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New Century Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Aflac by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 4,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $469,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Performance

AFL stock opened at $110.68 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $98.95. The company has a market capitalization of $61.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.67, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $75.07 and a fifty-two week high of $115.50.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.47. Aflac had a net margin of 22.02% and a return on equity of 16.34%. The company had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.84 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 40.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AFL. UBS Group raised their price objective on Aflac from $84.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 19th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $114.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Aflac from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Aflac from $106.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $97.93.

Aflac Company Profile

Aflac Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, provides supplemental health and life insurance products. The company operates through Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. segments. The Aflac Japan segment offers cancer, medical, nursing care, work leave, GIFT, and whole and term life insurance products, as well as WAYS and child endowment plans under saving type insurance products in Japan.