Aflac Incorporated $AFL Shares Bought by AMF Tjanstepension AB

Key Points

• AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its Aflac stake by 3.0% in the first quarter, buying 10,790 more shares and bringing its total to 371,149 shares worth about $40.7 million.
• Insiders have been selling shares, including Director Joseph L. Moskowitz and major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan, with insiders selling 744,916 shares worth about $87.1 million over the past three months.
• Aflac remains financially solid and pays a dividend: the stock recently traded near its 12-month high, the company reported mixed quarterly results, and it paid a $0.61 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 2.0% annual yield.

AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 3.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 371,149 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,790 shares during the period. AMF Tjanstepension AB owned approximately 0.07% of Aflac worth $40,719,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the first quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In other Aflac news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 12,370 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.54, for a total value of $1,441,599.80. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 33,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,881,947.40. The trade was a 27.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 27,845 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.71, for a total value of $3,249,789.95. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,898,490 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,940,362,767.90. This represents a 0.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 744,916 shares of company stock valued at $87,118,632 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Aflac Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $121.98 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $116.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.30. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $96.95 and a twelve month high of $122.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a market capitalization of $62.08 billion, a PE ratio of 13.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.61.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.05). Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.66 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th were paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Aflac's payout ratio is currently 27.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AFL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Aflac from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Aflac from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $124.00 price target (up from $114.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Mizuho set a $112.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $114.08.

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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