Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Sells 523 Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd decreased its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 523 shares during the quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Aflac were worth $4,206,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. raised its holdings in Aflac by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 218,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $22,571,000 after buying an additional 4,200 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 7,080 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $732,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 149.3% in the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 9,028 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $934,000 after acquiring an additional 5,407 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in Aflac by 156.2% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 28,973 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,997,000 after purchasing an additional 17,666 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total value of $2,558,529.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 222,618 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,018,701.20. This represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on AFL shares. Barclays lowered their price target on Aflac from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Aflac from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $102.86.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $107.45 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $104.42 and its 200-day moving average is $107.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.69 billion, a PE ratio of 11.19, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.99. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $78.62 and a 1-year high of $115.50.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.07). Aflac had a net margin of 28.76% and a return on equity of 16.20%. Sell-side analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.58 per share. This is a boost from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.17%.

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.