Uptick Partners LLC Invests $984,000 in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Uptick Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 8,393 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $984,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Groupe la Francaise purchased a new stake in Aflac during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Evergreen Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 63,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.12, for a total transaction of $7,441,560.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 51,169,435 shares in the company, valued at $6,044,133,662.20. The trade was a 0.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 507,333 shares of company stock worth $59,450,256 over the last quarter. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Aflac Trading Down 4.3%

Aflac stock opened at $116.48 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $121.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $116.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.48, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.60. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $104.66 and a 52-week high of $130.22.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.01). Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%.The firm had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.78 EPS. Aflac’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on AFL shares. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $124.00 price objective (up from $114.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Mizuho set a $116.00 price target on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $138.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.62.

About Aflac

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.