Aflac Incorporated $AFL Shares Purchased by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management increased its Aflac stake by 4.5% in Q4 to 1,072,717 shares (about 0.20% of the company), worth roughly $118.3 million.
• Q1 results showed EPS of $1.75 (missed consensus of $1.80) while revenue beat at $4.24 billion (+27.9% YoY); analysts still carry a consensus "Hold" and project about 7.16 EPS for the year.
• Dividend announced: Aflac declared a $0.61 quarterly dividend ($2.44 annualized, ~2.2% yield), with an ex-dividend date of May 20 and payment on June 1.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,072,717 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 46,262 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.20% of Aflac worth $118,256,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Activest Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 95.6% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 311 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 324 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the third quarter worth about $45,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Price Performance

Aflac stock opened at $113.48 on Thursday. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $111.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $110.92. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $96.95 and a 12 month high of $119.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.46 billion, a PE ratio of 12.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.62.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.66 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac's payout ratio is 27.70%.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total transaction of $18,655,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,723,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 572,632 shares of company stock worth $63,514,634 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays set a $99.00 price target on Aflac and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Aflac from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $111.36.

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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