Integrated Investment Consultants LLC Buys 15,325 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• Integrated Investment Consultants LLC increased its Aflac stake by 716.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 15,325 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 17,465 shares valued at about $1.93 million.
• Aflac’s latest quarter was mixed: revenue beat expectations at $4.24 billion, but earnings per share missed estimates at $1.75 versus $1.80 expected.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, payable June 1, which works out to an annualized dividend of $2.44 and a yield of about 2.1%.

Integrated Investment Consultants LLC grew its stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 716.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,465 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 15,325 shares during the period. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC's holdings in Aflac were worth $1,926,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BIP Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Aflac by 348.3% in the 4th quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 55,723 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,145,000 after buying an additional 43,293 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Aflac by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,731,482 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $193,407,000 after purchasing an additional 163,791 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Aflac by 126.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 21,345 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,384,000 after purchasing an additional 11,903 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Aflac by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,866,471 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $206,712,000 after purchasing an additional 97,766 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in Aflac by 12.0% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 97,344 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $10,841,000 after purchasing an additional 10,423 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $116.83 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick 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 $119.32. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $111.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $111.28. The stock has a market cap of $59.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.26, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.62.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.66 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

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

Aflac News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac issued $500 million of 5.150% senior notes due 2036, which should add balance-sheet flexibility and support liquidity for the insurer’s capital management plans. Aflac Issues $500 Million 2036 Senior Notes Offering
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted strong sales growth in Japan and the U.S., improving Japan margins, and a lower benefit ratio, all of which support Aflac’s earnings durability. Here's Why You Should Keep Holding Aflac in Your Portfolio
• Neutral Sentiment: The latest quarter was mixed, with revenue beating estimates but earnings per share missing consensus, leaving investors focused on whether growth can offset margin pressure.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles questioned Aflac’s valuation and risk profile after softer Japan margins and the earnings miss, but these pieces mainly reinforced existing concerns rather than introducing a new catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan disclosed another small sale of Aflac shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan, adding to a recent pattern of insider selling that can weigh on sentiment. Aflac NYSE: AFL Major Shareholder Sells $2,767,885.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Director Arthur Reginald Collins also sold shares recently, which may add a modest headwind to investor sentiment around the stock. SEC insider filing for Arthur Reginald Collins sale

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,200 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.36, for a total transaction of $2,791,712.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 51,564,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,948,462,839.20. The trade was a 0.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Arthur Reginald Collins sold 2,300 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.55, for a total transaction of $268,065.00. Following the sale, the director owned 6,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $720,978.30. The trade was a 27.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 648,375 shares of company stock valued at $72,256,429. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Evercore upgraded shares of Aflac from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays set a $99.00 target price on shares of Aflac and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Two equities research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Aflac has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $111.36.

Aflac Company 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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