Prospera Financial Services Inc Purchases 8,494 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• Prospera Financial Services boosted its Aflac stake by 11.9% in the fourth quarter, buying 8,494 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 79,954 shares worth about $8.82 million.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: Aflac currently carries a consensus rating of “Hold,” with an average price target of $111.82, though some firms recently raised targets or upgraded the stock.
• Aflac’s latest results and shareholder returns showed quarterly EPS of $1.75, slightly below expectations, while revenue topped estimates; the company also declared a $0.61 quarterly dividend, equal to a 2.1% annual yield.

Prospera Financial Services Inc increased its stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 11.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 79,954 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 8,494 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc's holdings in Aflac were worth $8,819,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Aflac by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,142,072 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,301,056,000 after buying an additional 6,759,169 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Aflac by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,414,180 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $493,047,000 after buying an additional 310,220 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in Aflac by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,926,777 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $438,621,000 after buying an additional 13,666 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in Aflac by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,631,876 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $297,583,000 after buying an additional 261,547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in Aflac by 5.5% during 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 buying an additional 97,766 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Mizuho set a $104.00 price target on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Evercore upgraded shares of Aflac from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays set a $99.00 price target on shares of Aflac and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $111.82.

Aflac Stock Performance

Aflac stock opened at $117.78 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 1 year low of $96.95 and a 1 year high of $119.81. The company has a market cap of $59.95 billion, a PE ratio of 13.37, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.62. The company's 50-day moving average is $112.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.68.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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). 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 company posted $1.66 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be given a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.70%.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In related news, Director Thomas J. Kenny sold 1,740 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.57, for a total value of $202,831.80. Following the sale, the director directly owned 13,219 shares in the company, valued at $1,540,938.83. This trade represents a 11.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Arthur Reginald Collins sold 2,300 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 6,186 shares in the company, valued at $720,978.30. This represents a 27.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 814,028 shares of company stock worth $91,815,931 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

About Aflac

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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