CBOE Vest Financial LLC Grows Position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

CBOE Vest Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 5.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 161,119 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 7,926 shares during the quarter. Aflac accounts for about 1.4% of CBOE Vest Financial LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. CBOE Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Aflac were worth $10,395,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Aflac by 338.0% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,604,901 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $93,656,000 after purchasing an additional 4,325,212 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $175,416,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Aflac by 62.4% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,936,608 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $317,865,000 after acquiring an additional 1,897,212 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Aflac by 22.9% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,812,956 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $634,004,000 after purchasing an additional 1,640,984 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at about $72,249,000. 66.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AFL stock traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $74.68. 1,719,069 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,431,344. The company has a quick ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 0.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $44.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.98, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $68.52. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $56.03 and a 1-year high of $78.43.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $5.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.52 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 16.10% and a net margin of 24.48%. On average, analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Aflac's payout ratio is 22.46%.

In other news, insider Virgil Raynard Miller sold 2,626 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.08, for a total transaction of $202,412.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 2,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $168,111.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.60, for a total transaction of $34,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 27,085 shares in the company, valued at $1,885,116. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Virgil Raynard Miller sold 2,626 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.08, for a total transaction of $202,412.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 2,181 shares in the company, valued at $168,111.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 30,170 shares of company stock valued at $2,286,000 over the last three months. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

AFL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Truist Financial increased their price target on Aflac from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd. Bank of America increased their price target on Aflac from $79.00 to $86.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. 58.com reiterated a "reiterates" rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday, June 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Aflac from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Aflac from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $74.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Friday, August 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $76.00.

View Our Latest Research Report on Aflac

Aflac Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, provides supplemental health and life insurance products. It operates in two segments, Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. 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.

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