Kingsview Wealth Management LLC Sells 26,219 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Kingsview Wealth Management LLC trimmed its stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 66.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,024 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 26,219 shares during the quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $1,374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 5,307,681 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $590,161,000 after purchasing an additional 56,776 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Aflac by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,575,054 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $397,510,000 after buying an additional 349,787 shares in the last quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD raised its stake in Aflac by 19.4% during the 2nd quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD now owns 2,372,484 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $250,187,000 after buying an additional 385,546 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in Aflac by 0.8% in the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,730,739 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $192,441,000 after acquiring an additional 13,575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in Aflac by 4.3% in the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,703,397 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $178,056,000 after acquiring an additional 70,244 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Aflac Price Performance

AFL opened at $109.33 on Thursday. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $96.95 and a 1 year high of $115.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11. The company has a market capitalization of $57.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.83. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $109.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.04.

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

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 18th. This is a boost from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.29%.

Aflac announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, August 12th that allows the company to buyback 100,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on AFL. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $104.00 price objective (up previously from $102.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Aflac from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Aflac from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.00.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In other Aflac news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.00, for a total value of $114,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,692,110. The trade was a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 3,452 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.10, for a total value of $397,325.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 230,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,552,188.80. This trade represents a 1.47% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 6,960 shares of company stock worth $794,458 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

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.