B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Makes New $4.62 Million Investment in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG acquired 39,389 Aflac shares during the second quarter, valued at approximately $4.62 million. Institutional investors collectively own 67.44% of Aflac’s outstanding stock.
• Aflac’s latest results were mixed: quarterly revenue of $4.22 billion exceeded estimates, while EPS of $1.75 narrowly missed consensus and revenue declined 1% year over year.
• Aflac declared a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, equivalent to $2.44 annually and a roughly 2.1% yield. Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $116.62.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG bought a new stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 39,389 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,618,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AFL. DNB Asset Management AS grew its stake in Aflac by 51.3% in the 4th quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 168,003 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $18,526,000 after acquiring an additional 56,975 shares during the period. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac during the fourth quarter worth $3,743,000. Atlas Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aflac in the first quarter valued at $1,802,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in shares of Aflac by 77.3% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 63,646 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,018,000 after purchasing an additional 27,751 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Aflac by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,072,717 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $118,256,000 after purchasing an additional 46,262 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Stock Performance

Aflac stock opened at $116.12 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.12 and a quick ratio of 0.12. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $104.66 and a 12 month high of $130.22. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $121.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $116.12. The company has a market cap of $58.22 billion, a PE ratio of 12.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.60.

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

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be given a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend 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 other Aflac news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.10, for a total value of $74,460.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 32,710 shares in the company, 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 the 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 directly owned 50,817,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 sold 497,625 shares of company stock worth $58,356,483 over the last quarter. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Aflac

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating and set a $99.00 price objective (up from $98.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday, August 7th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $138.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Aflac from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Aflac in a report on Wednesday. They set an "underperform" rating and a $103.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $116.62.

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.

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