Trillium Asset Management LLC Purchases Shares of 129,798 Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Trillium Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 129,798 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $15,219,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 64.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,570 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,507,000 after acquiring an additional 5,708 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Aflac by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $455,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $280,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 150,334 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,854,000 after buying an additional 15,105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 11,953 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,261,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 63,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.12, for a total value of $7,441,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,169,435 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,044,133,662.20. The trade was a 0.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 484,925 shares of company stock valued at $56,869,948. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on AFL. Wells Fargo & Company set a $122.00 price target on shares of Aflac and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $108.00 target price (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $138.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.62.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $116.16 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $121.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $116.12. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $104.66 and a 12-month high of $130.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market cap of $58.24 billion, a PE ratio of 12.45, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.60.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The business’s revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.78 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be issued a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.15%.

More Aflac News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac continues to offer a defensive income profile, with 43 consecutive years of dividend increases. The company raised its quarterly dividend by 5.2% earlier this year, bringing the annualized payout to $2.44 per share and the yield to roughly 2.1%. This Dividend Stock Has a Realistic Shot at Becoming a Dividend King
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results were mixed: earnings per share of $1.75 narrowly missed estimates, while $4.22 billion in revenue exceeded forecasts. However, revenue declined 1% year over year and EPS fell from $1.78 in the prior-year period, limiting the earnings-related support for the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research began coverage at “underperform” with a $103 target, citing a valuation or outlook that appears less attractive than other analysts’ views. The target is below Aflac’s 200-day moving average and the current consensus target near $116. Wolfe Research Starts Aflac at Underperform
• Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings, a major Aflac shareholder, disclosed several sales totaling about 42,000 shares during August 14–18, including a $1.73 million sale on August 18. The transactions were executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and reduced its position by only about 0.03%, so the direct supply impact is limited, but the repeated selling may weigh on sentiment. Major AFLAC Stakeholder Makes Bold Move With High-Value Stock Sale

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.