Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC Sells 6,069 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC lowered its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 224,168 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 6,069 shares during the period. Aflac accounts for approximately 1.4% of Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $25,040,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Aflac by 0.6% in the third quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 212,888 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $23,780,000 after acquiring an additional 1,272 shares during the period. Bath Savings Trust Co bought a new position in Aflac in the 3rd quarter worth $209,000. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Aflac by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,037 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 33.1% in the 3rd quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 466 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,983 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,115,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Aflac news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.00, for a total transaction of $114,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 23,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,692,110. This trade represents a 4.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 15,862 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total transaction of $1,776,544.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 230,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,837,056. This trade represents a 6.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 31,766 shares of company stock valued at $3,549,706 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Aflac from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Mizuho assumed coverage on Aflac in a report on Tuesday. They set an “underperform” rating and a $104.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Aflac from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $104.00 price target (up from $102.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $110.55.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $110.25 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $109.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $106.82. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $96.95 and a fifty-two week high of $115.83. The company has a market capitalization of $57.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter. Aflac had a return on equity of 14.97% and a net margin of 23.55%.The company had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter. Analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 18th. Aflac’s payout ratio is currently 30.29%.

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.