Barclays PLC Buys 169,637 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• Barclays PLC increased its Aflac stake by 15.1% in the fourth quarter, adding 169,637 shares to bring its total holding to 1,292,807 shares valued at about $142.6 million.
• Insider selling continued, with major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan selling 48,500 shares in a Rule 10b5-1 transaction; insiders have sold 969,156 shares over the past 90 days.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but cautious, with Aflac carrying an average “Hold” rating and a consensus price target of $112.27, while the stock traded near $116.88 and the company recently reported quarterly EPS that missed estimates.

Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 15.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,292,807 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 169,637 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned 0.25% of Aflac worth $142,558,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 48,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.20, for a total value of $5,684,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 51,067,735 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,985,138,542. This represents a 0.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders have sold 969,156 shares of company stock valued at $110,980,345 over the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AFL. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays set a $99.00 price objective on shares of Aflac and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $112.27.

Aflac Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE AFL opened at $116.88 on Tuesday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $114.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.04. 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 stock has a market cap of $59.49 billion, a PE ratio of 13.27, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.61. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $96.95 and a 12 month high of $119.81.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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). The company had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.88% and a net margin of 25.60%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.66 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 2.1%. Aflac's dividend payout ratio is presently 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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