Fintel reports that BlackRock has filed a 13G/A form with the SEC disclosing ownership of 42.21MM shares of AFLAC Incorporated (AFL). This represents 6.8% of the company.
In their previous filing dated February 1, 2022 they reported 45.49MM shares and 6.90% of the company, a decrease in shares of 7.21% and a decrease in total ownership of 0.10% (calculated as current - previous percent ownership).
Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 3.32% Downside
As of January 31, 2023, the average one-year price target for AFLAC is $71.06. The forecasts range from a low of $57.57 to a high of $84.00. The average price target represents a decrease of 3.32% from its latest reported closing price of $73.50.
The projected annual revenue for AFLAC is $18,143MM, a decrease of 13.31%. The projected annual EPS is $5.51, a decrease of 29.76%.
Fund Sentiment
There are 1929 funds or institutions reporting positions in AFLAC. This is an increase of 41 owner(s) or 2.17%.
Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to US:AFL is 0.3145%, an increase of 5.1100%. Total shares owned by institutions decreased in the last three months by 1.30% to 443,598K shares.
What are large shareholders doing?
Japan Post Holdings Co. holds 52,300,000 shares representing 8.41% ownership of the company. No change in the last quarter.
VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares holds 16,936,353 shares representing 2.72% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 17,066,627 shares, representing a decrease of 0.77%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in AFL by 5.07% over the last quarter.
Wells Fargo holds 16,354,494 shares representing 2.63% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 16,300,968 shares, representing an increase of 0.33%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in AFL by 7.34% over the last quarter.
VFINX - Vanguard 500 Index Fund Investor Shares holds 13,033,512 shares representing 2.10% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 13,118,770 shares, representing a decrease of 0.65%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in AFL by 4.35% over the last quarter.
Geode Capital Management holds 11,954,011 shares representing 1.92% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 12,041,310 shares, representing a decrease of 0.73%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in AFL by 4.48% over the last quarter.
AFLAC Declares $0.42 Dividend
AFLAC said on November 8, 2022 that its board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share ($1.68 annualized). Shareholders of record as of February 14, 2023 will receive the payment on March 1, 2023. Previously, the company paid $0.40 per share.
At the current share price of $73.50 / share, the stock's dividend yield is 2.29%. Looking back five years and taking a sample every week, the average dividend yield has been 2.50%, the lowest has been 1.91%, and the highest has been 4.36%. The standard deviation of yields is 0.37 (n=237).
The current dividend yield is 0.59 standard deviations below the historical average.
Additionally, the company's dividend payout ratio is 0.21. The payout ratio tells us how much of a company's income is paid out in dividends. A payout ratio of one (1.0) means 100% of the company's income is paid in a dividend. A payout ratio greater than one means the company is dipping into savings in order to maintain its dividend - not a healthy situation. Companies with few growth prospects are expected to pay out most of their income in dividends, which typically means a payout ratio between 0.5 and 1.0. Companies with good growth prospects are expected to retain some earnings in order to invest in those growth prospects, which translates to a payout ratio of zero to 0.5.
The company's 3-Year dividend growth rate is 0.56%, demonstrating that it has increased its dividend over time.
Aflac Background Information
(This description is provided by the company.)
Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company, helping provide protection to more than 50 million people through its subsidiaries in Japan and the U.S., where it is a leading supplemental insurer by paying cash fast when policyholders get sick or injured. For more than six decades, insurance policies of Aflac Incorporated's subsidiaries have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. Aflac Life Insurance Japan is the leading provider of medical and cancer insurance in Japan, where it insures 1 in 4 households. Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in America for 20 consecutive years. For 14 consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2020, Fortune included Aflac Incorporated on its list of World's Most Admired Companies for the 19th time, and Bloomberg added Aflac Incorporated to its Gender-Equality Index, which tracks the financial performance of public companies committed to supporting gender equality through policy development, representation and transparency.
This story originally appeared on Fintel.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
