Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. Buys New Position in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $493,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AFL. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,142,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,301,056,000 after purchasing an additional 6,759,169 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 1,184.5% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,264,090 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $141,199,000 after purchasing an additional 1,165,676 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 132.4% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,227,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $137,078,000 after purchasing an additional 699,080 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 180.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 252,457 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,320,000 after purchasing an additional 565,884 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 402.9% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 653,853 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $73,035,000 after purchasing an additional 523,845 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $117.78 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $59.95 billion, a PE ratio of 13.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.62. Aflac Incorporated has a 52 week low of $96.95 and a 52 week high of $119.81. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $112.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $111.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.88% and a net margin of 25.60%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.66 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on AFL. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Mizuho set a $104.00 price target on Aflac in a report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Aflac from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.82.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In related news, Director Thomas J. Kenny sold 1,740 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.57, for a total transaction of $202,831.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 13,219 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,540,938.83. This trade represents a 11.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Arthur Reginald Collins sold 2,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.55, for a total value of $268,065.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 6,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $720,978.30. The trade was a 27.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 814,028 shares of company stock valued at $91,815,931. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Aflac Profile

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.