Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Purchases New Stake in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 121,591 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $14,257,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 64.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,570 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,507,000 after acquiring an additional 5,708 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $455,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the second quarter worth about $280,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in shares of Aflac by 11.2% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 150,334 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,854,000 after purchasing an additional 15,105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Main Street Financial Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Aflac by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 11,953 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,261,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about 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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on AFL shares. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $110.00 price target (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $99.00 price objective (up from $98.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $108.00 target price (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Aflac in a report on Wednesday. They set an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Aflac has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $116.62.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.05, for a total transaction of $1,486,535.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 50,817,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,948,222,319.50. The trade was a 0.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.10, for a total transaction of $74,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 32,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,059,311. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 497,625 shares of company stock worth $58,356,483 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Trading Up 0.0%

AFL opened at $116.12 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $58.22 billion, a PE ratio of 12.45, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.60. 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $121.55 and a 200-day moving average of $116.15. Aflac Incorporated has a 52 week low of $104.66 and a 52 week high of $130.22.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 prior year, the firm earned $1.78 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s payout ratio is 26.15%.

Aflac Company 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.