Bancreek Capital Management LP Sells 8,604 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Bancreek Capital Management LP reduced its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 62.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,102 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,604 shares during the period. Aflac accounts for 2.3% of Bancreek Capital Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Bancreek Capital Management LP’s holdings in Aflac were worth $563,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its holdings in Aflac by 95.6% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 311 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Aflac by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Aflac by 80.6% during the 4th quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC now owns 354 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on AFL shares. UBS Group reduced their price target on Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Evercore upgraded Aflac from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $112.27.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of AFL stock opened at $114.32 on Thursday. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $96.95 and a 12-month high of $119.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $113.48 and a 200-day moving average of $111.75.

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 business had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.88% and a net margin of 25.60%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.66 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In other news, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 5,508 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.81, for a total transaction of $648,897.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 40,537 shares in the company, valued at $4,775,663.97. The trade was a 11.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 9,060 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.53, for a total value of $1,019,521.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,274,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,769,951,556.05. This represents a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 918,496 shares of company stock worth $104,071,966. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler reportedly raised its price target on Aflac and maintained an overweight view on insurance carriers, which can support sentiment toward the stock. Piper Sandler Raises Aflac (AFL) Price Target, Favors Insurance Carriers over Brokers
• Positive Sentiment: The company recently paid its quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, reinforcing Aflac’s appeal as a cash-generating insurer with a roughly 2.1% annual yield.
• Neutral Sentiment: Aflac’s shares were noted around the low-$113 area, near recent moving averages, while a DCF-based analysis suggested the stock is fairly valued near $110, implying limited immediate upside or downside from valuation alone. AFL Fairly Valued by DCF at $110
• Negative Sentiment: Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan, Aflac’s major shareholder, disclosed another small insider sale, continuing a recent string of planned share reductions. Such repeated selling can create a mild overhang on sentiment. SEC filing

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.