9,561 Shares in Aflac Incorporated $AFL Acquired by First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.

Key Points

• First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. acquired 9,561 Aflac shares worth approximately $1.07 million in the third quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 67.44% of Aflac.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with Aflac carrying a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $117.20. Recent targets ranged from $103 to $138, reflecting differing views on the stock’s valuation.
• Aflac shares were trading near $118, while the company reported quarterly revenue above estimates but slightly missed EPS expectations. Aflac also maintains a $0.61 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 2.1% yield, although Japan Post Holdings continued selling shares under a pre-arranged trading plan.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 9,561 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,069,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Aflac in the second quarter worth $4,093,787,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 27.8% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,201,217 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $609,843,000 after buying an additional 1,132,091 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,550,855 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $499,216,000 after buying an additional 67,650 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at $404,639,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in shares of Aflac by 22.6% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 3,268,209 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $358,555,000 after buying an additional 603,426 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on AFL shares. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $103.00 price objective on the stock. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $138.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, August 10th. Evercore increased their target price on shares of Aflac from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Aflac from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $110.00 target price (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $117.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 42,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.38, for a total value of $4,887,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,302,940 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,854,256,157.20. This trade represents a 0.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 545,051 shares of company stock valued at $63,379,217. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Aflac to $119 from $116 while maintaining a “neutral” rating. The increase reflects somewhat improved valuation support, although the target implies only limited upside from recent trading levels. JPMorgan Aflac Price Target Update
• Positive Sentiment: AM Best affirmed the credit ratings of Aflac and its subsidiaries, reinforcing confidence in the insurer’s financial strength and ability to meet policyholder obligations. This is supportive for a defensive insurer whose earnings depend partly on balance-sheet stability. AM Best Affirms Aflac Credit Ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America lowered its Aflac price target to $133 but retained a “buy” rating. The higher target remains well above recent trading levels, but the reduction indicates some reassessment of near-term valuation or sector conditions. Bank of America Cuts Aflac Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings continued selling Aflac shares, including transactions totaling 42,000 shares on October 13 and additional sales on October 9 and 12. Each sale represented only about 0.02%–0.08% of its large position and was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, limiting the immediate fundamental impact. However, the repeated disposals may weigh on sentiment and raise concerns about ongoing insider supply. Aflac Shareholder SEC Filing

Aflac Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $118.07 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $105.43 and a 12-month high of $130.22. The company has a market cap of $59.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.64, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company's 50-day moving average price is $116.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $117.18.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. Aflac's revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.78 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date was 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 NYSE: AFL is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance products to individuals, employers and groups. Its coverage is designed to help policyholders manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with illness, injury and other qualifying events.

The company's products include accident, cancer, critical illness, hospital indemnity, disability, dental, vision and life insurance. Aflac distributes its policies through workplace benefits programs, independent agents, brokers and other distribution channels.

Founded in 1955 as American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus, Aflac has its headquarters in Columbus, Georgia.

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