Tidal Investments LLC Has $4.80 Million Stock Holdings in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• Tidal Investments increased its Aflac position by 137.4% in the second quarter, acquiring 23,677 additional shares. Its holdings totaled 40,904 shares valued at approximately $4.80 million.
• Aflac reported quarterly revenue of $4.22 billion, exceeding estimates, but earnings per share of $1.75 narrowly missed expectations. The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.61, representing a 2.1% yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with Aflac receiving a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $116.62. Shares recently opened at $115.28, while institutional investors own 67.44% of the stock.

Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 137.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 40,904 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 23,677 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC's holdings in Aflac were worth $4,796,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its holdings in Aflac by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 21,945 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,420,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. raised its holdings in Aflac by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 13,743 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,508,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its holdings in Aflac by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,119 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Aflac by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,702 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $902,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Studio Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Aflac by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 7,650 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.44, for a total value of $1,569,984.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 50,625,490 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,844,206,565.60. This trade represents a 0.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 347,015 shares of company stock valued at $40,816,004 over the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of AFL opened at $115.28 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $105.43 and a 1 year high of $130.22. The stock has a market cap of $57.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.59. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $121.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $116.34.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The business's revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.78 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were paid a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and issued a $99.00 target price (up from $98.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $103.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company set a $122.00 price objective on shares of Aflac and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $116.62.

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance products. Its coverage is designed to help policyholders manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with accidents, illness, hospitalization, disability and critical illness.

Through its U.S. operations, Aflac markets policies to individuals, businesses and employees through workplace benefit programs, independent agents and brokers. The company is also a major provider of supplemental insurance in Japan, where it offers products focused primarily on cancer, medical and income-support coverage.

Founded in 1955 in Columbus, Georgia, as American Family Life Assurance Company, the business adopted the name Aflac in 1990.

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