Mizuho Markets Americas LLC Sells 12,474 Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Mizuho Markets Americas LLC decreased its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 51.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,671 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 12,474 shares during the period. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $1,298,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 5.1% in the first quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 13,350 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,484,000 after acquiring an additional 652 shares during the period. Lcnb Corp bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the first quarter worth $205,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 169.0% in the first quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 186,590 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $20,747,000 after acquiring an additional 117,224 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the first quarter worth $131,000. Finally, Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 3.4% in the first quarter. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 14,294 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,589,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of AFL opened at $103.48 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $102.41 and its 200 day moving average is $104.89. The company has a market capitalization of $55.34 billion, a PE ratio of 23.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.83. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $96.95 and a 12-month high of $115.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.30 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 15.08% and a net margin of 15.32%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.83 EPS. Research analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 20th will be given a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 20th. Aflac’s payout ratio is currently 52.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on AFL. UBS Group cut their price objective on Aflac from $114.00 to $111.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Aflac from $104.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Aflac from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Barclays set a $98.00 price target on Aflac and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut their price target on Aflac from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $107.92.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In related news, Director Masatoshi Koide sold 37,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.59, for a total value of $3,906,830.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 70,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,496,045.28. The trade was a 34.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Arthur Reginald Collins sold 2,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.70, for a total value of $290,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 6,728 shares in the company, valued at $711,149.60. This represents a 29.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.