UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Grows Position in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 27.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 5,201,217 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,132,091 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 1.04% of Aflac worth $609,843,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new position in Aflac during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Groupe la Francaise purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac’s quarterly dividend remains a support for income-focused investors. The company declared a $0.61-per-share payment, equivalent to $2.44 annually and a yield of approximately 2.1%, with a relatively modest 26.15% payout ratio. A Boring Dividend Growth Strategy Becomes a Solid Defensive Play
• Neutral Sentiment: Aflac’s valuation remains relatively moderate, with a price-to-earnings ratio near 12.5. However, analyst sentiment is mixed: the consensus rating is “Hold,” and the average price target of $116.62 is close to the stock’s recent trading level.
• Neutral Sentiment: Aflac’s recent quarterly results were mixed. Earnings of $1.75 per share narrowly missed estimates, while revenue of $4.22 billion exceeded expectations; revenue nevertheless declined 1% year over year and EPS fell from $1.78 in the prior-year quarter. Aflac stock steadies as Japan Post trims stake and mixed Q2 2026 results shape outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings has continued reducing its Aflac stake, selling 13,200 shares for approximately $1.55 million on August 26 and 12,700 shares for approximately $1.48 million on August 25. The transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, and each reduced its ownership by only 0.03%, limiting the immediate fundamental impact. However, the repeated sales may create a supply overhang and weigh on investor sentiment. Major AFLAC Stakeholder Makes Bold Move With Multimillion-Dollar Stock Sale

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on AFL. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $124.00 price target (up from $114.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Mizuho set a $116.00 price objective on Aflac in a report on Monday, August 10th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 target price for the company. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $138.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.62.

Aflac Trading Up 0.1%

AFL opened at $116.66 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $121.62 and a 200 day moving average of $116.23. 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 12 month low of $104.66 and a 12 month high of $130.22. The firm has a market cap of $58.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.60.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts’ expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.78 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.35, for a total value of $1,549,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 50,752,390 shares in the company, valued at $5,955,792,966.50. This trade represents a 0.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 506,265 shares of company stock worth $59,495,304. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

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.