Frederic Jean Guy Simard Sells 1,722 Shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) EVP Frederic Jean Guy Simard sold 1,722 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.50, for a total value of $193,725.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,364 shares in the company, valued at $153,450. This trade represents a 55.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Aflac Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $113.76 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $96.95 and a 52-week high of $115.43. The company has a 50 day moving average of $109.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $105.78. The company has a market capitalization of $59.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.83.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter. Aflac had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 15.08%. As a group, analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, August 12th that allows the company to buyback 100,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be given a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 18th. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. NorthRock Partners LLC increased its stake in Aflac by 1.5% during the first quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 6,519 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $725,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Aflac by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 11,827 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,321,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Courier Capital LLC raised its stake in Aflac by 3.9% during the third quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 2,597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $290,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Aflac by 5.0% in the second quarter. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC now owns 2,065 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $218,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Aflac by 5.1% in the third quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,037 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on AFL shares. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $104.00 price target (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Aflac from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Aflac from $114.00 to $111.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.50.

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.