96,145 Shares in Aflac Incorporated $AFL Purchased by Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.

Key Points

• Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. opened a new position in Aflac during the fourth quarter, buying 96,145 shares valued at about $10.6 million.
• Aflac reported Q1 earnings of $1.75 per share, missing analyst estimates of $1.80, though revenue came in slightly above expectations at $4.24 billion.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, equivalent to an annualized yield of about 2.2%.

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 96,145 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $10,605,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AFL. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 64.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,570 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,507,000 after buying an additional 5,708 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC raised its stake in Aflac by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $455,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Aflac in the 2nd quarter worth about $280,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in Aflac by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 150,334 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $15,854,000 after purchasing an additional 15,105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Main Street Financial Solutions LLC raised its stake in Aflac by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 11,953 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,261,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company's stock.

More Aflac News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac issued yen-denominated senior notes, which should improve financial flexibility and support capital management. Aflac Issues Yen-Denominated Senior Notes for Flexibility
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst estimates remain slightly above current consensus, with DOWLING & PARTN projecting modest earnings growth into FY2027 and FY2028, suggesting longer-term earnings momentum. Aflac analyst estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Several insider sales by Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan were disclosed, but they were pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 transactions and represent only small reductions in ownership. Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan Sells 31,100 Shares of Aflac NYSE: AFL Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Steven Kent Beaver also sold shares in a disclosed transaction, which may weigh on sentiment but does not appear to signal a fundamental change. Steven Kent Beaver Sells 5,508 Shares of Aflac NYSE: AFL Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Aflac’s last quarterly report missed EPS expectations, and some analysts have trimmed or only maintained cautious ratings, limiting upside enthusiasm. Aflac earnings and analyst coverage

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Evercore upgraded shares of Aflac from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Mizuho set a $104.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.27.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $112.37 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $113.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $111.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Aflac Incorporated has a twelve month low of $96.95 and a twelve month high of $119.81.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. Aflac's quarterly revenue was up 27.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.66 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.08 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be given a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Aflac's payout ratio is presently 27.70%.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,723,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,812,641,978. The trade was a 0.32% 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 910,436 shares of company stock valued at $103,126,371. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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