Pacer Advisors Inc. Sells 13,411 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Pacer Advisors Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 25.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,750 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 13,411 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Aflac were worth $4,328,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the first quarter valued at about $2,070,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at about $551,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 16.7% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,167,886 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $439,545,000 after purchasing an additional 594,971 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 4.8% during the second quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 140,874 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,857,000 after purchasing an additional 6,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in Aflac by 14.5% during the second quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 222,694 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $23,485,000 after buying an additional 28,190 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $109.98 on Tuesday. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $96.95 and a fifty-two week high of $115.83. The company has a market cap of $57.64 billion, a PE ratio of 14.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.20.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter. Aflac had a net margin of 23.55% and a return on equity of 14.97%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. This is a positive change from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AFL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Aflac from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Mizuho started coverage on Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $104.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Aflac from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler set a $125.00 price target on shares of Aflac and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $109.83.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In other Aflac news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 786 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.75, for a total transaction of $89,407.50. Following the sale, the director owned 24,829 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,824,298.75. The trade was a 3.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Frederic Jean Guy Simard sold 1,722 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.50, for a total value of $193,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $153,450. The trade was a 55.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 31,766 shares of company stock worth $3,549,706. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Aflac Company Profile

Aflac Incorporated (American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus) is a provider of supplemental insurance products designed to help policyholders manage out-of-pocket health care and living expenses. The company underwrites a range of individual and group policies that typically pay cash benefits directly to insureds when covered events occur, enabling greater financial flexibility for medical treatment, hospital stays, critical illness, and related costs. Aflac’s product mix includes supplemental health insurance, life insurance and other specialty coverages intended to complement primary medical plans.

Founded in the mid-20th century and headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, Aflac distributes its products through a combination of employer-sponsored programs, independent brokers and agents, and direct marketing.