J2 Capital Management Inc Makes New Investment in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

J2 Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 5,002 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $517,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Aflac during the third quarter valued at $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership purchased a new stake in Aflac in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Covestor Ltd raised its stake 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 during the period. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in Aflac during the third quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the third quarter worth about $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:AFL opened at $106.43 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.13 billion, a PE ratio of 16.03, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $75.07 and a 52-week high of $115.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $106.41 and a 200 day moving average of $105.25.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 16.34% and a net margin of 22.02%. The company’s revenue was down 40.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.12%.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In related news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on AFL shares. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $102.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Aflac from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $102.07.

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.