Jericho Financial LLP Purchases Shares of 57,627 Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Jericho Financial LLP purchased a new position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 57,627 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,757,000. Aflac makes up 3.5% of Jericho Financial LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,093,787,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Aflac by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,142,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,301,056,000 after buying an additional 6,759,169 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter valued at $420,078,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at about $298,418,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Aflac by 161.9% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,184,801 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $349,405,000 after acquiring an additional 1,968,738 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.10, for a total transaction of $74,460.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 32,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,059,311. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 Aflac stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 50,817,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,948,222,319.50. This trade represents a 0.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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 three months. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Aflac News Summary

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 Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and set a $110.00 target price (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $99.00 price objective (up from $98.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Aflac in a research report on Wednesday. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho set a $116.00 target price on Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $108.00 price target (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a research 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 assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $116.62.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $116.12 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market cap of $58.22 billion, a PE ratio of 12.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.60. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $104.66 and a twelve month high of $130.22. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $121.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $116.15.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.78 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be given a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.15%.

About Aflac

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.