Kathmere Capital Management LLC Boosts Stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Kathmere Capital Management LLC raised its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 10.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,439 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,056 shares during the quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $982,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 80.0% in the first quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AFL shares. StockNews.com raised Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Aflac from $84.00 to $83.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Aflac from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $83.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $83.46.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.84, for a total transaction of $50,904.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 27,550 shares in the company, valued at $2,337,342. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 22,378 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.47, for a total transaction of $1,957,403.66. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 61,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,381,329.34. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 600 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.84, for a total value of $50,904.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 27,550 shares in the company, valued at $2,337,342. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of AFL opened at $89.31 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.08 and a quick ratio of 0.08. The company has a market cap of $50.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.86, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.96. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $68.34 and a 12 month high of $91.15. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $87.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.82.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 27.67% and a return on equity of 16.88%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.55 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 22nd were given a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 21st. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.08%.

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.