Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Has $11.74 Million Holdings in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 12.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 105,050 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,601 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $11,735,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Aflac in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $432,201,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 16.7% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,167,886 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $439,545,000 after acquiring an additional 594,971 shares in the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new stake in Aflac during the second quarter valued at $60,954,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in Aflac by 459.0% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 701,390 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $73,969,000 after purchasing an additional 575,915 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in Aflac by 146.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 772,061 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $81,422,000 after purchasing an additional 458,551 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In related news, EVP Frederic Jean Guy Simard sold 1,722 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.50, for a total transaction of $193,725.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,364 shares in the company, valued at $153,450. The trade was a 55.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 15,862 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total value of $1,776,544.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 230,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,837,056. This represents a 6.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 31,766 shares of company stock valued at $3,549,706. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Price Performance

NYSE AFL opened at $108.93 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $108.07. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $96.95 and a twelve month high of $115.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.09 billion, a PE ratio of 14.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.72. Aflac had a return on equity of 14.97% and a net margin of 23.55%.The company had revenue of $4.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.36 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 59.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be issued a $0.61 dividend. This is a boost from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Aflac’s payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AFL shares. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $119.00 price target (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price target on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 15th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Aflac from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aflac presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.64.

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.