Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Shares Sold by Hartford Investment Management Co.

Hartford Investment Management Co. decreased its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 5.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 34,448 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,005 shares during the quarter. Hartford Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Aflac were worth $3,851,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new stake in Aflac in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the first quarter worth about $50,000. Fairscale Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the second quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Aflac by 178.6% in the second quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 624 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of AFL opened at $112.14 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $110.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $96.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.10 and a current ratio of 0.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.38, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.95. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $75.07 and a one year high of $115.50.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.60 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $5.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.10 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 28.35% and a return on equity of 16.22%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.58 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 21st. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.08%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Thomas J. Kenny sold 2,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.94, for a total transaction of $197,880.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 18,158 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,796,552.52. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on AFL shares. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Aflac from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Aflac from $84.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Bank of America increased their price target on Aflac from $115.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Aflac from $90.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Aflac from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $97.53.

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.