2,302 Shares in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Acquired by Longboard Asset Management LP

Longboard Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,302 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $238,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 75.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 776,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $88,533,000 after purchasing an additional 333,083 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Aflac by 79.7% during the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 27,354 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,058,000 after buying an additional 12,131 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Aflac during the third quarter worth approximately $979,000. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Aflac by 4.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,202,104 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $134,395,000 after buying an additional 45,745 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac in the 3rd quarter valued at $250,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $106.65 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $105.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.55. The company has a market capitalization of $59.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.99. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $75.44 and a 1 year high of $115.50. 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 Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a $0.58 dividend. 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%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. Aflac’s payout ratio is presently 30.12%.

Insider Activity

In other Aflac news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 222,618 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,018,701.20. This trade represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $115.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Aflac in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Aflac from $103.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $103.71.

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.