Saiph Capital LLC Takes Position in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Saiph Capital LLC purchased a new position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 16,003 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,688,000. Aflac accounts for about 0.5% of Saiph Capital LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding.

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Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 31,393 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,311,000 after buying an additional 1,480 shares during the period. SCS Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Aflac by 829.3% in the 2nd quarter. SCS Capital Management LLC now owns 53,520 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,644,000 after acquiring an additional 47,761 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Aflac by 459.0% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 701,390 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $73,969,000 after acquiring an additional 575,915 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Aflac by 3.2% in the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 190,772 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $20,119,000 after purchasing an additional 5,839 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Aflac by 42.3% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,747 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $501,000 after buying an additional 1,411 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Stock Performance

Aflac stock opened at $109.19 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $106.37. The stock has a market cap of $57.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $115.83.

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Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter. Aflac had a return on equity of 14.97% and a net margin of 23.55%. On average, analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Aflac's previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 18th. Aflac's payout ratio is 30.29%.

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Aflac announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, August 12th that permits the company to repurchase 100,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on AFL. Wall Street Zen raised Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $113.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Aflac from $107.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Aflac from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $111.00.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on AFL

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aflac news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.00, for a total value of $114,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 23,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,692,110. The trade was a 4.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Frederic Jean Guy Simard sold 1,722 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.50, for a total value of $193,725.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,364 shares in the company, valued at $153,450. This trade represents a 55.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 22,822 shares of company stock valued at $2,571,002 over the last 90 days. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

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