Conning Inc. Purchases 8,092 Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL)

Conning Inc. lifted its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 350,771 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,092 shares during the period. Aflac comprises 1.3% of Conning Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Conning Inc.’s holdings in Aflac were worth $36,284,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AFL. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Raelipskie Partnership acquired a new stake in Aflac during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in Aflac by 41.8% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Aflac in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of AFL stock opened at $103.62 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a 52 week low of $77.01 and a 52 week high of $115.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.56 billion, a PE ratio of 15.61, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.08. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $104.87 and its 200-day moving average is $106.72.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.63 by ($0.07). Aflac had a net margin of 22.02% and a return on equity of 16.34%. Equities research analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This is a boost from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Aflac’s payout ratio is 30.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AFL. Barclays lowered their price objective on Aflac from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Aflac from $103.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Aflac from $108.00 to $107.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Aflac from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Aflac in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $111.00 price objective on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $103.21.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 24,744 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total transaction of $2,558,529.60. Following the completion of 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 SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

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.