S Bank Fund Management Ltd Invests $1.65 Million in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• S Bank Fund Management Ltd invested approximately $1.65 million in Aflac, acquiring 15,616 shares of the company in the 2nd quarter.
• Aflac's dividend yield is at 2.1% with a recent quarterly dividend of $0.58, while its payout ratio stands at 52.61%.
• Various analysts have set target prices for Aflac, with Morgan Stanley raising its target from $108 to $113, indicating a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $109.45.

S Bank Fund Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 15,616 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,647,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the first quarter worth $2,070,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Aflac in the first quarter valued at $551,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Aflac by 121.9% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 304 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Aflac in the first quarter valued at $2,626,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in Aflac by 11.8% in the second quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 32,982 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,478,000 after purchasing an additional 3,484 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AFL shares. Evercore ISI set a $110.00 target price on Aflac and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Aflac from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Aflac from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Aflac from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $109.45.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In related news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.57, for a total value of $102,570.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,105 shares in the company, valued at $2,575,019.85. The trade was a 3.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Aflac Stock Down 1.5%

AFL opened at $109.80 on Thursday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $108.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $105.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $96.95 and a one year high of $115.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.86.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter. Aflac had a return on equity of 15.08% and a net margin of 15.32%.The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter. Analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 20th were given a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 20th. Aflac's payout ratio is 52.61%.

Aflac declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, August 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase 100,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Aflac Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.