Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Holdings Reduced by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 615,489 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 28,197 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of Aflac worth $63,666,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AFL. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,694,511 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $524,846,000 after purchasing an additional 281,148 shares during the last quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD boosted its holdings in Aflac by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD now owns 2,395,045 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $247,682,000 after acquiring an additional 118,720 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its position in Aflac by 8.9% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,662,514 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $185,869,000 after acquiring an additional 136,238 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Aflac by 0.7% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,584,552 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $177,153,000 after acquiring an additional 10,487 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Aflac by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,391,127 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $155,529,000 after purchasing an additional 127,911 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of AFL stock traded down $1.76 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $102.52. 1,931,507 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,785,750. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.99. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $78.62 and a one year high of $115.50. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $104.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $107.26.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.07). Aflac had a return on equity of 16.20% and a net margin of 28.76%. Sell-side analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. This is a boost from Aflac's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. Aflac's dividend payout ratio is 24.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on AFL shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Aflac in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a "market perform" rating and a $111.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Aflac from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $102.86.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In other news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 222,618 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,018,701.20. This represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

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.