56,546 Shares in Aflac Incorporated $AFL Bought by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. purchased a new stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 56,546 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,630,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Groupe la Francaise bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Aflac News

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on AFL shares. UBS Group reissued 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $108.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Two 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Aflac presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.62.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.10, for a total value of $74,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 32,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,059,311. The trade was a 1.80% decrease in their position. 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. Also, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.05, for a total transaction of $1,486,535.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 50,817,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,948,222,319.50. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 497,625 shares of company stock valued at $58,356,483 in the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Aflac Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE AFL opened at $116.12 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $104.66 and a 1-year high of $130.22. The company has a 50 day moving average of $121.55 and a 200-day moving average of $116.15. The company has a market cap of $58.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.45, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.60.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.78 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect 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 will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be given a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.