LongView Wealth Management Grows Position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

LongView Wealth Management raised its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 35.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,354 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,943 shares during the quarter. LongView Wealth Management's holdings in Aflac were worth $2,930,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Curio Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Aflac in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on AFL shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Barclays upped their target price on Aflac from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Aflac from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Raymond James Financial decreased their price objective on Aflac from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Aflac from $102.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Aflac presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $104.93.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In other Aflac news, Director Arthur Reginald Collins sold 2,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.70, for a total value of $290,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,728 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $711,149.60. This trade represents a 29.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Masatoshi Koide sold 37,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.59, for a total transaction of $3,906,830.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 70,992 shares in the company, valued at $7,496,045.28. This trade represents a 34.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 40,750 shares of company stock worth $4,304,295. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Aflac Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $102.56 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $88.00 and a 52-week high of $115.50. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $104.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $105.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 0.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market cap of $55.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.02, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.82.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.67 by ($0.01). Aflac had a net margin of 21.27% and a return on equity of 15.55%. The business had revenue of $3.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.66 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 37.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 21st were issued a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 21st. Aflac's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.25%.

About Aflac

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.

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