USS Investment Management Ltd Has $9.53 Million Holdings in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

USS Investment Management Ltd increased its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 6.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 86,837 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,396 shares during the quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Aflac were worth $9,528,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Aflac by 95.6% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 311 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Aflac Trading Up 1.1%

AFL stock opened at $118.49 on Thursday. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $120.29. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $116.08 and its 200-day moving average is $112.76. The firm has a market cap of $60.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.61.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted 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 company had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.88% and a net margin of 25.60%.Aflac’s quarterly revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.66 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th were issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AFL has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. UBS Group cut their target price on Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Aflac from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Mizuho set a $104.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $112.27.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total value of $18,655,080.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 51,723,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,812,641,978. The trade was a 0.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 1,042,771 shares of company stock worth $120,575,104 over the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.