Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. Invests $2.25 Million in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• Daiichi Life Insurance acquired 19,226 Aflac shares worth approximately $2.25 million, contributing to institutional investors’ 67.44% ownership of the company.
• Aflac reported mixed quarterly results: revenue of $4.22 billion exceeded estimates, while EPS of $1.75 narrowly missed consensus and revenue declined 1% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, or $2.44 annualized, yielding about 2.1%. Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $116.62.

Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 19,226 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,254,000.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Aflac in a research report on Wednesday. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $103.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Aflac from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating and set a $110.00 price objective (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Barclays restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $99.00 target price (up from $98.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $116.62.

Aflac Trading Up 0.0%

AFL stock opened at $116.12 on Monday. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $104.66 and a 1-year high of $130.22. 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 business's 50 day moving average is $121.55 and its 200-day moving average is $116.15. The firm has a market cap of $58.22 billion, a P/E 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.01). Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%.The company had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.78 EPS. Aflac's quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Aflac's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 12,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.05, for a total value of $1,486,535.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 50,817,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,948,222,319.50. This represents a 0.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.10, for a total transaction of $74,460.00. Following the sale, the director owned 32,710 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,059,311. This trade represents a 1.80% 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 a total of 497,625 shares of company stock worth $58,356,483 in the last 90 days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Aflac News Summary

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

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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