Trillium Asset Management LLC Reduces Holdings in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Trillium Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 9.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 137,102 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 15,007 shares during the period. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $15,411,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake 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 worth $6,301,056,000 after purchasing an additional 6,759,169 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,483,205 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $494,385,000 after purchasing an additional 69,025 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,926,777 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $438,621,000 after purchasing an additional 13,666 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth approximately $420,078,000. Finally, Amundi increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,631,876 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $297,583,000 after purchasing an additional 261,547 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 26,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.00, for a total transaction of $3,100,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 51,116,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,980,599,495. The trade was a 0.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 936,356 shares of company stock worth $107,019,534. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Aflac News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac continues to be viewed as a dependable income stock, supported by 44 consecutive years of dividend growth and a recently paid quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share. The “Duck Stock” Keeps Quietly Making Money for Shareholders
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive enough to keep Aflac on the radar as a stable insurance name, with recent commentary highlighting reliable returns from dividends, buybacks, and supplemental insurance growth. 3 Insurance Stocks Hitting 52-Week Highs With More Room to Run
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent market coverage describes Aflac as a steady, low-volatility insurer, but also suggests the stock’s quality may already be fairly priced in, limiting near-term upside. 4 Stocks Making New Highs Despite Market Weakness
• Negative Sentiment: Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan has continued trimming its Aflac stake through a series of insider sales in June, which may create some investor concern even though the trades were disclosed under a 10b5-1 plan. SEC Filing

Analyst Ratings Changes

AFL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. 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 note on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Evercore raised Aflac from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays set a $99.00 price target on Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $112.27.

Aflac Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $117.56 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $96.95 and a fifty-two week high of $119.81. The firm has a market cap of $59.83 billion, a PE ratio of 13.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.61. The business’s fifty day moving average is $114.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.99. 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 results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.05). Aflac had a return on equity of 13.88% and a net margin of 25.60%.The business had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.66 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

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

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.