16,712 Shares in Aflac Incorporated $AFL Bought by North Dakota State Investment Board

Key Points

• North Dakota State Investment Board opened a new position in Aflac, buying 16,712 shares valued at about $1.84 million in the fourth quarter.
• Aflac continues to attract institutional interest, with several other funds slightly adding to their holdings and institutions owning about 67.44% of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: the consensus rating remains Hold with a target price of $111.36, while the company also recently posted an EPS miss despite higher revenue and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share.

North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 16,712 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,843,000.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its holdings in Aflac by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 21,945 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,420,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its holdings in Aflac by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 19,088 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,105,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Aflac by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 11,923 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp lifted its stake in Aflac by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 9,831 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,088,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Courier Capital LLC lifted its stake in Aflac by 3.9% in the third quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 2,597 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $290,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Evercore upgraded shares of Aflac from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Aflac from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $111.36.

Key Stories Impacting Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac’s industry outlook remains favorable, with analysts citing benefits from rising underwriting exposure and faster digitalization in accident and health insurance. Article: 5 Stocks to Watch From Prospering Accident & Health Insurance Industry
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share underscores a steady shareholder-return profile, which can help support the stock for income-focused investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership remains high, and several funds recently added to positions, suggesting continued interest from larger investors.
• Negative Sentiment: A major shareholder, Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan, sold about 23,500 to 24,500 shares in recent transactions under a pre-arranged trading plan, which may pressure sentiment. Article: SEC filing for Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sale
• Negative Sentiment: Director Thomas Kenny also sold 1,740 shares, adding to the impression of insider profit-taking after the stock’s recent strength. Article: SEC filing for Thomas J. Kenny sale
• Negative Sentiment: Even after a strong run, Aflac’s last earnings report missed EPS estimates, which may keep some investors cautious about near-term upside.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of AFL stock opened at $118.38 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $112.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $111.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11. The stock has a market cap of $60.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.62. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $96.95 and a one year high of $119.81.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.88% and a net margin of 25.60%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.66 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.12 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.70%.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total value of $18,655,080.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 51,723,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,812,641,978. This represents a 0.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 698,115 shares of company stock valued at $78,057,526 over the last 90 days. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Aflac Company 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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