Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Stake Increased by Checchi Capital Advisers LLC

Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,080 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $732,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the third quarter worth $34,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the third quarter worth $38,000. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 41.8% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the third quarter worth $45,000. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Aflac news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total value of $2,558,529.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 222,618 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,018,701.20. The trade was a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Aflac Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $105.73 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.01, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $104.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.46. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $78.62 and a 12-month high of $115.50.

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

Aflac Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.19%. This is a boost from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Aflac in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 target price for the company. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Aflac from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note 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 for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Aflac currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $102.86.

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.