7,450 Shares in Aflac Incorporated $AFL Purchased by Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc.

Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 7,450 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $874,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. DNB Asset Management AS lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 51.3% during the fourth quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 168,003 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $18,526,000 after buying an additional 56,975 shares during the last quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,743,000. Atlas Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,802,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 77.3% during the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 63,646 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,018,000 after acquiring an additional 27,751 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Aflac by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,072,717 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $118,256,000 after acquiring an additional 46,262 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Down 0.0%

AFL stock opened at $116.12 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.22 billion, a PE ratio of 12.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.60. Aflac Incorporated has a 52 week low of $104.66 and a 52 week high of $130.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $121.55 and a 200 day moving average of $116.12.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.78 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be given a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 63,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.12, for a total value of $7,441,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,169,435 shares in the company, valued at $6,044,133,662.20. This trade represents a 0.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 497,625 shares of company stock valued at $58,356,483. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AFL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $124.00 target price (up from $114.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings cut Aflac from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on Aflac in a research report on Wednesday. They set an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.62.

Key Stories Impacting Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac’s quarterly dividend is $0.61 per share, or $2.44 annualized, providing a yield of roughly 2.1%. The company has a long record of dividend growth and a relatively low payout ratio of about 26%, supporting its appeal as a defensive income stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent earnings were mixed: quarterly revenue of $4.22 billion exceeded analyst expectations of $4.11 billion, but earnings per share of $1.75 narrowly missed the $1.76 consensus. Revenue declined 1% year over year and EPS fell from $1.78 in the prior-year quarter, limiting fundamental momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street’s overall view remains cautious, with a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target near $116.62. Some analysts remain constructive, including Piper Sandler with a $138 target, while others maintain neutral or underweight ratings.
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research initiated coverage with an “underperform” rating and a $103 price target, implying meaningful downside from recent trading levels. The call adds to existing concerns from Barclays and JPMorgan, which also have cautious ratings or targets. Wolfe Research Starts Aflac at Underperform
• Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings, Aflac’s major shareholder, sold another 12,700 shares on August 19 for approximately $1.49 million, following sales of 14,200 shares on August 18 and 13,900 shares on August 17. The transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and represent only a small reduction in its stake, but the repeated selling may weigh on investor sentiment. Aflac SEC Insider Filing

Aflac Profile

Aflac Incorporated (American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus) is a provider of supplemental insurance products designed to help policyholders manage out-of-pocket health care and living expenses. The company underwrites a range of individual and group policies that typically pay cash benefits directly to insureds when covered events occur, enabling greater financial flexibility for medical treatment, hospital stays, critical illness, and related costs. Aflac’s product mix includes supplemental health insurance, life insurance and other specialty coverages intended to complement primary medical plans.

Founded in the mid-20th century and headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, Aflac distributes its products through a combination of employer-sponsored programs, independent brokers and agents, and direct marketing.