Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Acquires 11,601 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 12.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 105,050 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,601 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $11,735,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 64.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,570 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,507,000 after buying an additional 5,708 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC grew its position in Aflac by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $455,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Aflac by 12.7% in the second quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,864 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $829,000 after acquiring an additional 886 shares during the period. Patton Fund Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the second quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Finally, LVW Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 22.1% in the 2nd quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 2,380 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 15,862 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 230,688 shares in the company, valued at $25,837,056. This trade represents a 6.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 786 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.75, for a total transaction of $89,407.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 24,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,824,298.75. This represents a 3.07% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 31,766 shares of company stock worth $3,549,706. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $108.93 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $115.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.67. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $109.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $108.07.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.72. Aflac had a net margin of 23.55% and a return on equity of 14.97%. The business had revenue of $4.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.36 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. Aflac’s revenue for the quarter was up 59.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on AFL. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Aflac from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $119.00 price objective (up previously from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.64.

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.