Nykredit A S Buys New Position in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• Nykredit A/S acquired 160,882 Aflac shares during the second quarter, valued at approximately $18.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 67.44% of the company.
• Aflac reported quarterly revenue of $4.22 billion, ahead of estimates, but earnings per share of $1.75 narrowly missed consensus and revenue declined 1% year over year. The company maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, representing a 2.1% yield.
• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $116.62, while recent insider sales—including a director’s 14.73% reduction in holdings—may weigh on investor sentiment.

Nykredit A S purchased a new position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 160,882 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $18,863,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Corient Private Wealth LP increased its stake in Aflac by 7.4% in the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 496,085 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $58,166,000 after purchasing an additional 34,307 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 5.1% during the second quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 884,735 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $103,735,000 after buying an additional 42,749 shares during the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,899,000. Studio Investment Management LLC increased its position in Aflac by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 7,650 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $897,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Aflac during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of AFL opened at $116.32 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $105.43 and a 52-week high of $130.22. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $120.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $116.46. The company has a market capitalization of $58.31 billion, a PE ratio of 12.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.59.

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 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 analyst estimates of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.78 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict 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 given a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. Aflac's payout ratio is presently 26.15%.

More Aflac News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac’s reported net earnings increased 37.7%, which may initially support the stock and highlight the company’s strong statutory profitability. The more important caveat is that adjusted earnings declined, limiting the bullish impact of the headline growth. Aflac’s Net Earnings Jumped 37.7%, Yet Adjusted Earnings Actually Fell
• Neutral Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings, a major Aflac shareholder, sold 13,800 shares for about $1.6 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The sale reduced its position by only 0.03%, so it is unlikely to materially change the long-term ownership picture. Major Institutional Investor Makes Notable Move in AFLAC Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Director Masatoshi Koide sold 13,201 shares for approximately $1.56 million, cutting his direct holdings by 14.73%. Although the transaction may be routine portfolio management, insider selling can weigh on sentiment because it signals reduced personal exposure by a company director. Insider Selling: Aflac Director Sells 13,201 Shares
• Negative Sentiment: New coverage and the cluster of insider transactions are shaping a more cautious outlook. Aflac’s latest quarterly results already showed a slight EPS miss, year-over-year revenue decline, and lower adjusted profitability, reinforcing concerns about earnings momentum. Aflac Stock Edges Lower as Insider Sales and New Coverage Shape Sentiment

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other news, Director Masatoshi Koide sold 13,201 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.01, for a total value of $1,557,850.01. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 76,422 shares in the company, valued at $9,018,560.22. This trade represents a 14.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 13,800 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.49, for a total value of $1,621,362.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,557,190 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,939,964,253.10. This trade represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 355,316 shares of company stock worth $41,740,654 in the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on AFL. Wall Street Zen cut Aflac from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. TD Cowen reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $110.00 price objective (up from $101.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $108.00 price target (up from $100.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Friday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aflac currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $116.62.

About Aflac

Aflac Incorporated is an insurance company that provides supplemental health and life insurance products. Its coverage is designed to help policyholders manage expenses that may not be fully covered by major medical insurance, including costs associated with accidents, illness, hospitalization, disability and critical illness.

Through its U.S. operations, Aflac markets policies to individuals, businesses and employees through workplace benefit programs, independent agents and brokers. The company is also a major provider of supplemental insurance in Japan, where it offers products focused primarily on cancer, medical and income-support coverage.

Founded in 1955 in Columbus, Georgia, as American Family Life Assurance Company, the business adopted the name Aflac in 1990.

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