Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Shares Purchased by Callan Capital LLC

Callan Capital LLC raised its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 21.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,378 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 414 shares during the quarter. Callan Capital LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $246,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Aflac Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of AFL opened at $102.04 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $78.62 and a 12-month high of $115.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $104.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.99.

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

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.17%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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. This trade represents a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Aflac from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Aflac in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $102.86.

About Aflac

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.