Kentucky Retirement Systems Raises Holdings in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• Kentucky Retirement Systems increased its Aflac holdings by 25.8% in the first quarter, reaching 38,481 shares valued at approximately $4.22 million. Institutional investors collectively own 67.44% of Aflac’s stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with ratings ranging from Strong Buy to Sell; the consensus rating is “Hold” with an average price target of $116.17.
• Aflac’s latest quarterly revenue rose 27.9% year over year to $4.24 billion, but earnings of $1.75 per share fell short of the $1.80 consensus estimate. Shares recently traded at $127.35, near the company’s 12-month high.

Kentucky Retirement Systems increased its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 25.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,481 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 7,898 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems' holdings in Aflac were worth $4,222,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. DNB Asset Management AS boosted its holdings in Aflac by 51.3% during the fourth quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 168,003 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $18,526,000 after acquiring an additional 56,975 shares during the period. BIP Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 348.3% in the fourth quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 55,723 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,145,000 after purchasing an additional 43,293 shares during the period. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth about $3,743,000. Dorato Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth about $20,865,000. Finally, Atlas Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Aflac during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,802,000. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Barclays reduced their price objective on Aflac from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Mizuho set a $112.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Aflac from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Aflac from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $116.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 63,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider owned 51,169,435 shares in the company, valued at $6,044,133,662.20. The trade was a 0.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 744,916 shares of company stock valued at $87,118,632 over the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of AFL stock opened at $127.35 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $119.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.71. 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 $130.22. The company has a market capitalization of $64.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.61.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.66 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.06 EPS for the current year.

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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