Huntington National Bank cut its stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL – Free Report) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 232,744 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 6,781 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank’s holdings in Aflac were worth $25,665,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AFL. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Aflac by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,142,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,301,056,000 after purchasing an additional 6,759,169 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Aflac by 1,184.5% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,264,090 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $141,199,000 after purchasing an additional 1,165,676 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Aflac by 132.4% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,227,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $137,078,000 after purchasing an additional 699,080 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Aflac by 180.5% in the third quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 252,457 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,320,000 after purchasing an additional 565,884 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP raised its position in shares of Aflac by 402.9% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 653,853 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $73,035,000 after purchasing an additional 523,845 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Aflac Price Performance
NYSE:AFL opened at $114.81 on Thursday. Aflac Incorporated has a 52 week low of $96.95 and a 52 week high of $119.81. The firm has a market cap of $58.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.62. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $112.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $111.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11.
Aflac Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be issued a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.70%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total value of $18,655,080.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,723,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,812,641,978. This trade represents a 0.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 881,036 shares of company stock valued at $99,703,131. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on AFL shares. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays set a $99.00 price objective on shares of Aflac and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Mizuho set a $104.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $112.27.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Aflac
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.
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