Level Four Advisory Services LLC Has $6.98 Million Stock Holdings in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• Level Four Advisory Services LLC reduced its stake in Aflac by 8.7%, owning now 62,814 shares valued at approximately $6.98 million, according to recent SEC filings.
• Aflac announced a quarterly dividend of $0.58 per share, yielding 2.2%, with the ex-dividend date set for August 20th.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Aflac, currently holding a consensus rating of "Hold" with a price target averaging $109.15.

Level Four Advisory Services LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 8.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 62,814 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,014 shares during the quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Aflac were worth $6,984,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its stake in Aflac by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 107,095 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,908,000 after purchasing an additional 2,781 shares in the last quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA bought a new stake in Aflac during the 1st quarter worth approximately $213,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in Aflac by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,159,424 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $128,693,000 after purchasing an additional 7,515 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in Aflac by 38.6% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 6,146 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $683,000 after purchasing an additional 1,711 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Capital Holdings LLC increased its stake in Aflac by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 38,644 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,297,000 after purchasing an additional 1,924 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In related news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.57, for a total value of $102,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,105 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,575,019.85. This trade represents a 3.83% 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. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Aflac Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:AFL traded up $0.1620 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $108.3520. The stock had a trading volume of 2,230,970 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,583,883. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $96.95 and a 12 month high of $115.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $103.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $104.85. The company has a market cap of $57.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.57, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.83.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.07. Aflac had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 15.08%. The business had revenue of $4.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.30 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.83 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, August 12th that permits the company to repurchase 100,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 20th will be paid a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 20th. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Aflac's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFL has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group lowered their target price on Aflac from $114.00 to $111.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Aflac from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Aflac from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Aflac from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $109.15.

Aflac Profile

Aflac Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, provides supplemental health and life insurance products. The company operates through Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. segments. The Aflac Japan segment offers cancer, medical, nursing care, work leave, GIFT, and whole and term life insurance products, as well as WAYS and child endowment plans under saving type insurance products in Japan.