B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Purchases Shares of 35,916 Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 35,916 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,015,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its holdings in Aflac by 9.5% in the first quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 5,289 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $454,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 213.6% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 37,215 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,195,000 after acquiring an additional 25,349 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at about $98,000. Vident Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Aflac by 590.0% in the 1st quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 55,618 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,775,000 after acquiring an additional 47,557 shares during the period. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC bought a new position in Aflac during the 1st quarter worth approximately $373,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Aflac Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE AFL opened at $110.24 on Thursday. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $75.07 and a 12 month high of $115.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $110.58 and a 200-day moving average of $100.16. The company has a market cap of $61.24 billion, a PE ratio of 16.60, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.96.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.30 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 22.02% and a return on equity of 16.34%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 40.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.84 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Aflac's payout ratio is currently 30.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on AFL. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Aflac from $84.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Aflac from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Aflac in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $102.00 price target for the company. Barclays assumed coverage on Aflac in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $96.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Aflac from $114.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $97.93.

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.