Aflac Incorporated $AFL Shares Purchased by HighTower Advisors LLC

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC increased its Aflac stake by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 24,640 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 787,115 shares worth about $86.8 million.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with several other funds also adding to Aflac, while institutions and hedge funds together own about 67.44% of the company.
• Wall Street is mixed on Aflac: the consensus rating is “Hold” with an average price target of $111.36, even as the company continues its quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share.

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 787,115 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 24,640 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned about 0.15% of Aflac worth $86,795,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Aflac by 64.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,570 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,507,000 after purchasing an additional 5,708 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC raised its stake in Aflac by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $455,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at about $280,000. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 150,334 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $15,854,000 after acquiring an additional 15,105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Main Street Financial Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 11,953 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,261,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho set a $104.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group dropped their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective 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. Barclays set a $99.00 price objective on shares of Aflac and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Aflac from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research note on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $111.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aflac 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,723,100 shares in the company, valued at $5,812,641,978. This represents a 0.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 698,115 shares of company stock valued at $78,057,526. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Aflac News Roundup

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 Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $118.38 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $96.95 and a 1 year high of $119.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $112.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $111.45.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last issued 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). Aflac had a return on equity of 13.88% and a net margin of 25.60%.The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

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

About Aflac

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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