NEOS Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL – Free Report) by 12.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 75,901 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,106 shares during the period. NEOS Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $8,899,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. DNB Asset Management AS boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 51.3% in the fourth quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 168,003 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $18,526,000 after buying an additional 56,975 shares during the period. Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,743,000. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the second quarter valued at approximately $6,630,000. Atlas Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,802,000. Finally, Integrated Investment Consultants LLC lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 716.1% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 17,465 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,926,000 after acquiring an additional 15,325 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research firms recently commented on AFL. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and set a $110.00 target price (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $122.00 target price on Aflac and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Wall Street Zen cut Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Aflac from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Two 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Aflac currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.62.
Aflac Stock Performance
AFL stock opened at $117.09 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a current ratio of 0.12. The stock has a market cap of $58.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.59. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $121.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $116.27. Aflac Incorporated has a 52 week low of $104.66 and a 52 week high of $130.22.
Aflac (NYSE:AFL – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The company had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.78 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Aflac Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.15%.
Insider Activity
In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,500 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $1,582,065.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 50,687,690 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,940,090,391.10. This trade represents a 0.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 481,915 shares of company stock worth $56,604,185 in the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Aflac News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Aflac partnered with actor Ben Affleck and its iconic duck for a new advertising campaign, including branded billboards and social-media activity in Los Angeles. The campaign could increase consumer awareness and support future policy sales, although its direct financial impact is uncertain. Ben Affleck and the Aflac Duck Unite for New Ad Campaign
- Positive Sentiment: Aflac remains attractive to income-focused and defensive investors. The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, equivalent to $2.44 annually, with an approximately 2.1% yield and a payout ratio near 26%. A recent dividend-focused article also recognized Aflac’s long record of annual increases. Safe High-Yield Dividend Stocks
- Neutral Sentiment: The Ben Affleck billboard activity appears to be a planned publicity campaign rather than actual vandalism. It may generate short-term brand engagement, but no revenue, earnings guidance or other measurable financial benefit was announced. Ben Affleck Aflac Advertising Campaign
- Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings, a major Aflac shareholder, sold 13,500 shares for approximately $1.58 million on September 2 and has reported several similar sales in recent weeks. The latest transaction reduced its stake by only about 0.03% and was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, limiting its significance, but the repeated selling may create a modest supply overhang. Aflac Major Shareholder SEC 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.
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