World Investment Advisors LLC Invests $594,000 in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 5,310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $594,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Aflac in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership acquired a new position in Aflac in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Covestor Ltd increased its position in Aflac by 41.8% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 3rd quarter worth about $45,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Trading Down 0.7 %

Aflac stock opened at $103.83 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $103.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.64, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.97. 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.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.16 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $4.30 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 22.02% and a return on equity of 16.34%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.84 EPS. Aflac’s revenue was down 40.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. This is an increase from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. Aflac’s payout ratio is presently 34.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on AFL shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Aflac from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Aflac to $107.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $102.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Aflac from $114.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on Aflac from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $98.73.

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.