Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Shares Sold by Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc.

Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. cut its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 15,114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 753 shares during the period. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc.’s holdings in Aflac were worth $1,563,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AFL. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Aflac in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership acquired a new position in Aflac during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Aflac by 41.8% during the 3rd 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 bought a new position in Aflac during the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac in the third quarter worth $51,000. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Up 0.5 %

AFL stock opened at $106.43 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. The firm has a market cap of $59.13 billion, a PE ratio of 16.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.00. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $75.07 and a 12 month high of $115.50. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $106.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $105.25.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 16.34% and a net margin of 22.02%. The company’s revenue was down 40.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Aflac’s payout ratio is presently 30.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the business’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 transaction of $2,558,529.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 222,618 shares in the company, valued at $23,018,701.20. The trade was 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. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AFL. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Aflac from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $102.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com raised Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Aflac from $103.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Aflac presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $102.07.

About Aflac

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.