GSB Wealth Management LLC Lowers Stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

GSB Wealth Management LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 36,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 208 shares during the period. Aflac accounts for about 1.0% of GSB Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. GSB Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $3,776,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AFL. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Aflac in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership purchased a new position in Aflac in the third quarter worth about $38,000. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in Aflac by 41.8% in 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 last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in Aflac in the third quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Aflac in the third quarter worth about $51,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aflac news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total value of $2,558,529.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 222,618 shares in the company, valued at $23,018,701.20. This represents a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $104.82 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $105.88 and a 200 day moving average of $105.81. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $58.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.00. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $75.07 and a 12-month high of $115.50.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 22.02% and a return on equity of 16.34%. The company’s revenue was down 40.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.84 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a $0.58 dividend. This is a positive change from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on AFL shares. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Aflac in a report on Thursday. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $115.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $102.67.

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.