Machina Capital S.A.S. Invests $5.01 Million in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 44,868 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,012,000. Aflac makes up about 0.9% of Machina Capital S.A.S.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 0.8% in 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 acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Courier Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Aflac by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 2,597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC grew its position in Aflac by 5.0% during the second quarter. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC now owns 2,065 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $218,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,037 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stiles Financial Services Inc increased its position in shares of Aflac by 3.2% during the third quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 3,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In related news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 15,862 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total value of $1,776,544.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 230,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,837,056. The trade was a 6.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Frederic Jean Guy Simard sold 1,722 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.50, for a total transaction of $193,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $153,450. The trade was a 55.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 31,766 shares of company stock valued at $3,549,706. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on AFL. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 target price on Aflac in a report on Monday, December 15th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Aflac in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $104.00 price target on the stock. Piper Sandler set a $125.00 price objective on Aflac and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $110.64.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $112.08 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $109.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $108.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market capitalization of $58.74 billion, a PE ratio of 14.63, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.67. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $96.95 and a 12 month high of $115.83.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.72. The company had revenue of $4.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.36 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 14.97% and a net margin of 23.55%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 59.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is 30.29%.

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated (American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus) is a provider of supplemental insurance products designed to help policyholders manage out-of-pocket health care and living expenses. The company underwrites a range of individual and group policies that typically pay cash benefits directly to insureds when covered events occur, enabling greater financial flexibility for medical treatment, hospital stays, critical illness, and related costs. Aflac’s product mix includes supplemental health insurance, life insurance and other specialty coverages intended to complement primary medical plans.

Founded in the mid-20th century and headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, Aflac distributes its products through a combination of employer-sponsored programs, independent brokers and agents, and direct marketing.