Maj Invest Holding A S Acquires 7,643 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Maj Invest Holding A S increased its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 576,447 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,643 shares during the period. Aflac makes up 2.2% of Maj Invest Holding A S’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Maj Invest Holding A S’s holdings in Aflac were worth $64,389,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 11.9% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 93,449 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,856,000 after purchasing an additional 9,907 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of Aflac by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,768,705 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $196,662,000 after acquiring an additional 65,308 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Aflac by 31.0% during the third quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 55,022 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,146,000 after purchasing an additional 13,017 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 140,874 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $14,857,000 after acquiring an additional 6,400 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Aflac by 16.7% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,167,886 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $439,545,000 after purchasing an additional 594,971 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In other Aflac news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 15,862 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total value of $1,776,544.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 230,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,837,056. This trade represents a 6.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Frederic Jean Guy Simard sold 1,722 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $153,450. The trade was a 55.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 31,766 shares of company stock valued at $3,549,706 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFL has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays set a $101.00 target price on Aflac and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 target price on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 15th. Piper Sandler set a $125.00 price target on Aflac and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Mizuho assumed coverage on Aflac in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $104.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Aflac has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $110.64.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $108.93 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $108.07. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $96.95 and a twelve month high of $115.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market capitalization of $57.09 billion, a PE ratio of 14.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.67.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.72. Aflac had a return on equity of 14.97% and a net margin of 23.55%.The company had revenue of $4.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 59.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 18th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.29%.

Aflac 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.