Aflac Incorporated $AFL Holdings Boosted by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 3.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,001,546 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 35,558 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.19% of Aflac worth $105,623,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Aflac in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 1,526.7% during the second quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the period. AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the second quarter worth about $32,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $114.06 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $96.95 and a 12 month high of $115.43. The stock has a market cap of $61.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.86, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.83. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $108.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $105.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Aflac had a return on equity of 15.08% and a net margin of 15.32%.The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter. Equities research analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, August 12th that permits the company to repurchase 100,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is 30.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AFL has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler set a $125.00 price target on Aflac and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Aflac from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen raised Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $110.50.

Aflac Profile

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.