Apexium Financial LP Boosts Holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Apexium Financial LP raised its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 56.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,077 shares during the period. Apexium Financial LP’s holdings in Aflac were worth $310,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AFL. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership purchased a new stake in Aflac in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Aflac by 41.8% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in Aflac during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Aflac in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In other Aflac news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 222,618 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,018,701.20. This represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $114.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Aflac in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 price target for the company. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Aflac from $103.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $102.67.

Aflac Price Performance

AFL stock opened at $108.14 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.29, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $105.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $75.07 and a 12-month high of $115.50.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.47. Aflac had a return on equity of 16.34% and a net margin of 22.02%. The company had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.84 EPS. Aflac’s revenue was down 40.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a $0.58 dividend. This is a positive change from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.15%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.12%.

Aflac Company 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.