Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Shares Sold by Bridgewater Associates LP

Bridgewater Associates LP trimmed its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 42.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 92,031 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 68,599 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP’s holdings in Aflac were worth $10,289,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Aflac in the third quarter worth $34,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Aflac by 41.8% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in Aflac during the third quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Aflac Stock Up 0.1 %

Aflac stock opened at $114.10 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a 52 week low of $75.07 and a 52 week high of $115.50. The stock has a market cap of $63.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.18, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.96. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $111.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 22.02% and a return on equity of 16.34%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 40.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AFL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $114.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Aflac in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $102.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Aflac from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Barclays started coverage on Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $96.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Aflac from $115.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $97.93.

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.