Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Purchases Shares of 94,764 Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFLFree Report) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 94,764 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $11,111,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. DNB Asset Management AS boosted its holdings in Aflac by 51.3% in 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 acquiring an additional 56,975 shares in the last quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at $3,743,000. Atlas Wealth LLC bought a new position in Aflac in the 1st quarter worth $1,802,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 77.3% in the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 63,646 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,018,000 after purchasing an additional 27,751 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,072,717 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $118,256,000 after purchasing an additional 46,262 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE:AFL opened at $116.12 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.45, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.12 and a quick ratio of 0.12. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $104.66 and a one year high of $130.22. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $121.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $116.12.

Aflac (NYSE:AFLGet Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.01). Aflac had a net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The business had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. Aflac’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AFL shares. TD Cowen reiterated 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. Wells Fargo & Company set a $122.00 price objective on Aflac and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $138.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, August 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday, July 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Aflac presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $116.62.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Aflac

Key Headlines 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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 63,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.12, for a total transaction of $7,441,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,169,435 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,044,133,662.20. The trade was a 0.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 497,625 shares of company stock worth $58,356,483. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Aflac Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AFL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFLFree Report).

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Aflac (NYSE:AFL)

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