Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Shares Acquired by Czech National Bank

Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 4.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 102,674 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,139 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Aflac were worth $11,479,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new position in Aflac during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. increased its position in Aflac by 80.0% during the first quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 315 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Aflac during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Cedar Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the first quarter valued at about $50,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Stock Up 1.5 %

Aflac stock traded up $1.73 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $115.26. 1,717,703 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,255,626. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $75.07 and a 1 year high of $115.50. The firm has a market cap of $65.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.10 and a quick ratio of 0.10. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $106.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $93.88.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.60 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $5.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.10 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 28.35% and a return on equity of 16.22%. The company’s revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.58 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 21st. Aflac’s payout ratio is currently 22.08%.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In other news, Director Thomas J. Kenny sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.94, for a total value of $197,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 18,158 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,796,552.52. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Aflac from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Aflac from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 19th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Aflac from $114.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $96.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Aflac from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $95.43.

About Aflac

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.