Czech National Bank Buys 5,731 Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Czech National Bank increased its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 5.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 108,405 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,731 shares during the period. Czech National Bank's holdings in Aflac were worth $11,213,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Aflac during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Aflac by 41.8% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the third quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Aflac Price Performance

AFL traded up $1.03 on Tuesday, reaching $103.52. The company had a trading volume of 1,609,955 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,645,704. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $75.07 and a 52-week high of $115.50. The company has a market cap of $57.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.08. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $106.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $105.02.

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

Aflac Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a $0.58 dividend. This is a boost from Aflac's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. Aflac's payout ratio is 34.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In related news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total transaction of $2,558,529.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 222,618 shares in the company, valued at $23,018,701.20. The trade was a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on AFL. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Aflac from $114.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Aflac from $103.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Aflac from $115.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $102.07.

Aflac 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.