Aflac Incorporated $AFL Shares Sold by Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Nomura Asset Management cut its Aflac stake by 7.0% in the fourth quarter, selling 39,739 shares and leaving it with 527,102 shares valued at about $58.1 million.
• Other institutional investors remain heavily involved in Aflac, with firms like Vanguard, Dimensional, and Norges Bank either adding to or initiating positions. Overall, institutional ownership stands at 67.44%.
• Aflac recently missed quarterly EPS expectations with $1.75 per share versus $1.80 expected, though revenue topped estimates. The company also declared a $0.61 quarterly dividend, implying a 2.2% annual yield.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. decreased its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 7.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 527,102 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 39,739 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.10% of Aflac worth $58,124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 13.4% in 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 purchasing an additional 6,759,169 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,414,180 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $493,047,000 after purchasing an additional 310,220 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,926,777 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $438,621,000 after purchasing an additional 13,666 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 4th quarter worth $420,078,000. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,631,876 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $297,583,000 after purchasing an additional 261,547 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Aflac News Roundup

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AFL shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen raised Aflac from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Barclays set a $99.00 price target on Aflac and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One equities 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $112.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aflac news, Director Thomas J. Kenny sold 1,740 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.57, for a total transaction of $202,831.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 13,219 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,540,938.83. This trade represents a 11.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 11,400 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.50, for a total value of $1,316,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 51,302,145 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,925,397,747.50. The trade was a 0.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 910,436 shares of company stock valued at $103,126,371. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of AFL opened at $112.37 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $113.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $111.77. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $96.95 and a one year high of $119.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. The stock has a market cap of $57.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.61.

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

Aflac Announces Dividend

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

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AFL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.