WBI Investments LLC Makes New Investment in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• WBI Investments LLC has acquired 27,484 shares of Aflac Incorporated, marking a significant investment of approximately $3,056,000, making Aflac the 25th largest position in their portfolio.
• Aflac recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.58 per share, indicating a 2.2% yield based on an annualized rate.
• The average price target for Aflac shares stands at $109.15, with mixed ratings from analysts showing three Buy ratings, eight Hold ratings, and two Sell ratings.

WBI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 27,484 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,056,000. Aflac accounts for 0.8% of WBI Investments LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Aflac by 121.9% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 304 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Aflac by 90.8% in the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 330 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Stock Up 0.4%

AFL traded up $0.45 on Friday, reaching $109.14. 1,799,997 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,434,687. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $104.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $105.19. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $96.95 and a 52-week high of $115.50. The company has a market cap of $58.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.75, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.85. 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 - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.07. Aflac had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 15.08%. The firm had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.83 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 20th were given a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 20th. Aflac's payout ratio is currently 52.61%.

Aflac announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, August 12th that allows the company to repurchase 100,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Aflac from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Aflac from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Aflac from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Aflac from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $109.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Aflac news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.57, for a total value of $102,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,105 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,575,019.85. The trade was a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.