Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Raises Stock Position in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 282.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 7,607 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,618 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $839,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 19,088 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,105,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 11,923 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,315,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 9,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,088,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Courier Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 3.9% during the third quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 2,597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $290,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Corp increased its stake in shares of Aflac by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 2,939 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total value of $18,655,080.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,723,100 shares in the company, valued at $5,812,641,978. This trade represents a 0.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 648,375 shares of company stock valued at $72,256,429. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Stock Performance

NYSE:AFL opened at $116.83 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $111.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $111.25. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $96.95 and a 1-year high of $119.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11. The firm has a market cap of $59.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.62.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.05). Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.66 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.12 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be given a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.70%.

More Aflac News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac issued $500 million of 5.150% senior notes due 2036, which should add balance-sheet flexibility and support liquidity for the insurer’s capital management plans. Aflac Issues $500 Million 2036 Senior Notes Offering
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted strong sales growth in Japan and the U.S., improving Japan margins, and a lower benefit ratio, all of which support Aflac’s earnings durability. Here’s Why You Should Keep Holding Aflac in Your Portfolio
• Neutral Sentiment: The latest quarter was mixed, with revenue beating estimates but earnings per share missing consensus, leaving investors focused on whether growth can offset margin pressure.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles questioned Aflac’s valuation and risk profile after softer Japan margins and the earnings miss, but these pieces mainly reinforced existing concerns rather than introducing a new catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan disclosed another small sale of Aflac shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan, adding to a recent pattern of insider selling that can weigh on sentiment. Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $2,767,885.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Director Arthur Reginald Collins also sold shares recently, which may add a modest headwind to investor sentiment around the stock. SEC insider filing for Arthur Reginald Collins sale

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AFL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho set a $104.00 target price on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Barclays set a $99.00 price target on shares of Aflac and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Aflac from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Aflac presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.36.

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.