Aflac Incorporated $AFL Stock Position Boosted by Fifth Third Bancorp

Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 135.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 142,180 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 81,803 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in Aflac were worth $15,599,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. DNB Asset Management AS grew its stake in shares of Aflac by 51.3% in the 4th quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 168,003 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $18,526,000 after purchasing an additional 56,975 shares during the last quarter. BIP Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Aflac by 348.3% during the fourth quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 55,723 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,145,000 after purchasing an additional 43,293 shares during the last quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,743,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in Aflac by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,866,471 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $206,712,000 after buying an additional 97,766 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dorato Capital Management bought a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter worth approximately $20,865,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 63,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.12, for a total transaction of $7,441,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 51,169,435 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,044,133,662.20. This trade represents a 0.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 744,916 shares of company stock valued at $87,118,632. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Aflac Price Performance

AFL opened at $122.14 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.86, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $117.25 and a 200-day moving average of $113.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $96.95 and a 12-month high of $124.00.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $4.24 billion for 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on AFL. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and issued a $108.00 price target (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday. Mizuho set a $112.00 price objective on Aflac in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Aflac from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $114.50.

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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