19,736 Shares in Aflac Incorporated $AFL Bought by Equitable Holdings Inc.

Equitable Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 19,736 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,314,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Groupe la Francaise purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac’s quarterly dividend remains a support for income-focused investors. The company declared a $0.61-per-share payment, equivalent to $2.44 annually and a yield of approximately 2.1%, with a relatively modest 26.15% payout ratio. A Boring Dividend Growth Strategy Becomes a Solid Defensive Play
• Neutral Sentiment: Aflac’s valuation remains relatively moderate, with a price-to-earnings ratio near 12.5. However, analyst sentiment is mixed: the consensus rating is “Hold,” and the average price target of $116.62 is close to the stock’s recent trading level.
• Neutral Sentiment: Aflac’s recent quarterly results were mixed. Earnings of $1.75 per share narrowly missed estimates, while revenue of $4.22 billion exceeded expectations; revenue nevertheless declined 1% year over year and EPS fell from $1.78 in the prior-year quarter. Aflac stock steadies as Japan Post trims stake and mixed Q2 2026 results shape outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings has continued reducing its Aflac stake, selling 13,200 shares for approximately $1.55 million on August 26 and 12,700 shares for approximately $1.48 million on August 25. The transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, and each reduced its ownership by only 0.03%, limiting the immediate fundamental impact. However, the repeated sales may create a supply overhang and weigh on investor sentiment. Major AFLAC Stakeholder Makes Bold Move With Multimillion-Dollar Stock Sale

Aflac Stock Up 0.1%

AFL stock opened at $116.66 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $121.62 and a 200 day moving average of $116.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.49 billion, a PE ratio of 12.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 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. Aflac Incorporated has a 52 week low of $104.66 and a 52 week high of $130.22.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last released its 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). Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%.The company had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.78 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s payout ratio is 26.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $138.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $124.00 price target (up from $114.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $122.00 price objective on Aflac and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Barclays reissued 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. Finally, 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.62.

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 515,325 shares of company stock valued at $60,514,826. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.