Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Stake Boosted by National Bank of Canada FI

Key Points

• National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in Aflac Incorporated by 21.0% during the first quarter, acquiring 73,400 shares to reach a total of 422,398 shares valued at approximately $46.97 million.
• Wall Street analysts have adjusted their price targets for Aflac, with UBS Group setting a target of $111.00, while Morgan Stanley raised their target to $105.00.
• Aflac recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.58 per share, with stockholders on record receiving a total of $2.32 annually, reflecting a dividend yield of 2.2%.

National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 21.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 422,398 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 73,400 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned about 0.08% of Aflac worth $46,966,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 121.9% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 304 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 90.8% during the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 330 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the period. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Aflac from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Aflac from $114.00 to $111.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. 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 research note on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Aflac from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $108.23.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director owned 25,105 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,575,019.85. This trade represents a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Arthur Reginald Collins sold 2,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.70, for a total transaction of $290,675.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,728 shares in the company, valued at approximately $711,149.60. This trade represents a 29.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 40,750 shares of company stock valued at $4,300,075. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Aflac Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of Aflac stock traded down $0.62 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $103.55. The stock had a trading volume of 3,231,283 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,432,755. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $96.95 and a 12 month high of $115.50. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $102.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $104.88. The stock has a market cap of $55.38 billion, a PE ratio of 23.48, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11.

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, topping 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 company had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.83 EPS. Aflac's revenue was down 19.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders 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 2.2%. Aflac's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.61%.

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.