Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE Purchases 288 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE grew its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 0.2% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 129,405 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the period. Aflac comprises approximately 2.5% of Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE’s holdings in Aflac were worth $13,647,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new position in Aflac in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Aflac by 121.9% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 304 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise bought a new stake in Aflac during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Aflac during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of AFL stock opened at $110.78 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $107.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $105.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $96.95 and a 1 year high of $115.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.12, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.86.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter. Aflac had a return on equity of 15.08% and a net margin of 15.32%. On average, equities analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, August 12th that permits the company to buyback 100,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 20th were given a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 20th. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s payout ratio is 52.61%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.57, for a total transaction of $102,570.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,105 shares in the company, valued at $2,575,019.85. This represents a 3.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AFL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Aflac from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $102.00 target price (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Aflac from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Aflac from $114.00 to $111.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $109.45.

Aflac Company Profile

Aflac Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, provides supplemental health and life insurance products. The company operates through Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. segments. The Aflac Japan segment offers cancer, medical, nursing care, work leave, GIFT, and whole and term life insurance products, as well as WAYS and child endowment plans under saving type insurance products in Japan.