Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Cuts Stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lowered its position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 279,208 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,483 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Aflac worth $28,881,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AFL. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership bought a new stake in Aflac in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Aflac by 41.8% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in Aflac in the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Aflac in the third quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In other Aflac 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 value of $2,558,529.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 222,618 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,018,701.20. This represents a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Aflac Trading Up 0.3 %

Aflac stock opened at $104.82 on Friday. 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 Incorporated has a one year low of $75.07 and a one year high of $115.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.23 billion, a PE ratio of 15.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.00. The business’s fifty day moving average is $106.01 and its 200 day moving average is $105.70.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released 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. Aflac had a return on equity of 16.34% and a net margin of 22.02%. The company had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.30 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. Aflac’s revenue was down 40.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.26 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. This is a boost from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AFL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Aflac from $108.00 to $107.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Bank of America upped their target price on Aflac from $115.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Aflac in a report on Thursday. They set a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com raised Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Aflac from $103.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $102.67.

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.