Kwmg LLC Grows Stock Position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Kwmg LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 0.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 81,871 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Kwmg LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $7,029,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at about $197,820,000. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Aflac by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,643,531 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $740,141,000 after purchasing an additional 794,784 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Aflac by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 54,208,007 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,160,465,000 after purchasing an additional 605,210 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Aflac by 8,861.1% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 449,849 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,113,000 after purchasing an additional 444,829 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Aflac by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,693,249 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $139,676,000 after purchasing an additional 348,400 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Aflac from $83.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Aflac from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Aflac from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Aflac from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $82.38.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In related news, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 22,378 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.47, for a total transaction of $1,957,403.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 61,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,381,329.34. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 600 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.84, for a total transaction of $50,904.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 27,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,337,342. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 22,378 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.47, for a total transaction of $1,957,403.66. Following the sale, the director now owns 61,522 shares in the company, valued at $5,381,329.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFL traded down $0.45 on Wednesday, hitting $89.56. 853,628 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,227,243. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.96. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $86.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $83.71. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $67.12 and a 1-year high of $91.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 27.67% and a return on equity of 16.88%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.55 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.46 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 22nd were issued a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.08%.

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.