Aflac Incorporated $AFL is Edmp Inc.’s 5th Largest Position

Edmp Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 43,698 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 876 shares during the period. Aflac comprises 3.9% of Edmp Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Edmp Inc.’s holdings in Aflac were worth $4,608,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. AlphaCore Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new stake in Aflac in the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Aflac by 121.9% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 304 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise bought a new stake in Aflac in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Aflac in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of AFL opened at $110.21 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $107.78 and its 200 day moving average is $105.45. The company has a market capitalization of $58.94 billion, a PE ratio of 24.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.86. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $96.95 and a 12-month high of $115.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter. Aflac had a return on equity of 15.08% and a net margin of 15.32%. Research analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, August 12th that permits the company to repurchase 100,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 20th were paid a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 20th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.61%.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In other Aflac news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.57, for a total value of $102,570.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,575,019.85. The trade was a 3.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on AFL. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Aflac from $114.00 to $111.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Aflac from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Evercore ISI set a $110.00 price objective on Aflac and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $102.00 price objective (up previously from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $109.45.

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.