Unigestion Holding SA Buys 6,282 Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Unigestion Holding SA increased its position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,074 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,282 shares during the quarter. Unigestion Holding SA's holdings in Aflac were worth $6,045,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AFL. Y.D. More Investments Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the second quarter worth $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Aflac in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership bought a new stake in Aflac in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in Aflac by 41.8% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Aflac Stock Up 0.0 %

NYSE:AFL traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $104.23. 1,803,514 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,209,256. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $75.07 and a one year high of $115.50. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $110.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $102.59. The company has a market cap of $57.90 billion, a PE ratio of 15.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.08 and a quick ratio of 0.08.

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

Aflac Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. This is a positive change from Aflac's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. Aflac's dividend payout ratio is 30.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on AFL. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Aflac to $107.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on Aflac from $84.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $96.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Aflac from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Aflac from $114.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac has an average 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.