Inceptionr LLC Invests $881,000 in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Inceptionr LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 8,353 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $881,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 1,526.7% during the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Hilltop National Bank purchased a new stake in Aflac in the second quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $110.66 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $110.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $106.20. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $96.95 and a 12-month high of $115.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.09, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.83.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter. Aflac had a return on equity of 15.08% and a net margin of 15.32%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, August 12th that allows the company to buyback 100,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Frederic Jean Guy Simard sold 1,722 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.50, for a total transaction of $193,725.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $153,450. This trade represents a 55.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 15,862 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total transaction of $1,776,544.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 230,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,837,056. The trade was a 6.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 22,822 shares of company stock worth $2,571,002 over the last 90 days. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on AFL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Piper Sandler set a $125.00 target price on shares of Aflac and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Aflac from $113.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Aflac from $114.00 to $111.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $104.00 price objective (up from $102.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.00.

About Aflac

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.