Rafferty Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Rafferty Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 176,392 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,523 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in Aflac were worth $18,246,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in Aflac by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 7,643 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $791,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 6,553 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $662,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Aflac by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 531 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. TKG Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Aflac by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. TKG Advisors LLC now owns 21,255 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,230,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,960 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $720,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Trading Down 1.4%

AFL traded down $1.51 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $103.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 749,801 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,106,108. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $86.46 and a fifty-two week high of $115.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.10 and a quick ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market cap of $55.97 billion, a PE ratio of 10.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.84. The business's 50-day moving average is $107.05 and its 200-day moving average is $106.48.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.67 by ($0.01). Aflac had a net margin of 28.76% and a return on equity of 16.20%. The company had revenue of $3.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.66 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 37.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 21st. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. Aflac's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Aflac from $104.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $118.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Aflac in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a "market perform" rating and a $111.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Aflac from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $104.57.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In other Aflac news, Director Arthur Reginald Collins sold 2,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $711,149.60. This trade represents a 29.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 29,802 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.29, for a total value of $3,197,456.58. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 49,962 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,360,422.98. The trade was a 37.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 34,552 shares of company stock worth $3,702,552. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.