Stifel Financial Corp Decreases Position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Stifel Financial Corp lessened its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 590,553 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 64,024 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.11% of Aflac worth $66,024,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AFL. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new position in Aflac during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Covestor Ltd increased its position in Aflac by 41.8% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Aflac during the third quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the third quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of Aflac stock traded down $0.44 during trading on Friday, reaching $107.31. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,913,390 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,802,793. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $75.07 and a 12-month high of $115.50. The company has a market capitalization of $59.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $111.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $102.24.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.30 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 16.34% and a net margin of 22.02%. Aflac's quarterly revenue was down 40.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.27 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. This is an increase from Aflac's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. Aflac's payout ratio is presently 30.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on AFL. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Aflac from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Aflac from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Aflac from $114.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $96.00 target price on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aflac currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $98.73.

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.