Blue Trust Inc. Sells 18,114 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• Blue Trust Inc. reduced its Aflac stake by 9.2% in the first quarter, selling 18,114 shares and leaving it with 179,761 shares valued at about $19.7 million.
• Aflac’s latest quarterly results showed earnings of $1.75 per share, missing analyst estimates, while revenue came in at $4.24 billion and rose 27.9% year over year.
• The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 2.1%, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with a $112.27 price target.

Blue Trust Inc. trimmed its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 9.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 179,761 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 18,114 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.'s holdings in Aflac were worth $19,722,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new position in Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Navalign LLC bought a new position in Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management grew its holdings in Aflac by 95.6% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 311 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of AFL stock opened at $117.64 on Thursday. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $96.95 and a 12-month high of $119.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $115.56 and a 200-day moving average of $112.39. The company has a market capitalization of $59.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.61.

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

Aflac Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were 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 directly owned 51,723,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,812,641,978. This trade represents a 0.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 1,082,471 shares of company stock valued at $124,943,184 in the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group dropped their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Mizuho set a $104.00 target price on Aflac in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.27.

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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