Federated Hermes Inc. Buys 32,642 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 11.2% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 324,298 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 32,642 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in Aflac were worth $36,224,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Aflac by 64.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,570 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,507,000 after acquiring an additional 5,708 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Aflac by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $455,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Aflac by 59.2% during the 2nd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 510,370 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $53,824,000 after purchasing an additional 189,765 shares in the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the second quarter worth $225,000. Finally, Childress Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Aflac by 15.1% in the second quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $224,000 after buying an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $110.45 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $96.95 and a 12 month high of $115.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.89 billion, a PE ratio of 14.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $108.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.72. Aflac had a return on equity of 14.97% and a net margin of 23.55%.The business had revenue of $4.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.36 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 59.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Aflac’s payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In other Aflac news, EVP Frederic Jean Guy Simard sold 1,722 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.50, for a total value of $193,725.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $153,450. This represents a 55.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.00, for a total transaction of $114,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,692,110. The trade was a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 31,766 shares of company stock worth $3,549,706 in the last ninety days. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays set a $101.00 target price on Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $104.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Piper Sandler set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Aflac and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.64.

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.