Joseph Moskowitz Sells 12,370 Shares of Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Stock

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Director Joseph Moskowitz sold 12,370 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.54, for a total transaction of $1,441,599.80. Following the sale, the director owned 33,310 shares in the company, valued at $3,881,947.40. This trade represents a 27.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Aflac Trading Up 0.2%

Aflac stock opened at $118.03 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $115.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $112.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.08 billion, a PE ratio of 13.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.61. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $96.95 and a 12-month high of $120.27.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.05). Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.66 EPS. Aflac’s revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AFL. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Evercore raised shares of Aflac from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $112.27.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aflac

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the first quarter valued at $305,000. Western Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 409.3% in the first quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,881 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,303,000 after buying an additional 9,548 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 47.2% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 65,296 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,164,000 after buying an additional 20,939 shares in the last quarter. DV Trading LLC raised its position in Aflac by 450.0% during the first quarter. DV Trading LLC now owns 2,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $241,000 after buying an additional 1,800 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Aflac by 1.3% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 10,284 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,128,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Company 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.