Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Sells 135,082 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• Pictet Asset Management cut its stake in Aflac by 28.6%, selling 135,082 shares in Q4 and now owning 337,229 shares worth about $37.19 million.
• Aflac reported Q1 EPS of $1.75, missing consensus (~$1.80) while revenue was $4.35 billion (up 27.9% YoY) and profitability remained strong (net margin ~21%, ROE ~14%).
• There has been notable insider and institutional selling (insiders sold 572,632 shares in the last 90 days, including Post Holdings' 166,000-share sale), institutional ownership is ~67.44%, and analysts have a mixed view with a consensus Hold and a price target near $111.82.

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA cut its stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 28.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 337,229 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 135,082 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned approximately 0.06% of Aflac worth $37,186,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC grew its stake in Aflac by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 10,688 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,177,000 after buying an additional 1,126 shares during the last quarter. Inscription Capital LLC lifted its position in Aflac by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 6,873 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $758,000 after acquiring an additional 1,340 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,548 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,163,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the period. Advisors Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 11,351 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,252,000 after acquiring an additional 542 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Equity Partners grew its position in shares of Aflac by 19.1% in the fourth quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 4,864 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $536,000 after purchasing an additional 780 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac reported roughly $4.3B in first‑quarter revenue and retained strong profitability metrics (net margin ~21% and ROE ~14%), which supports the company’s underlying operating performance. Aflac Reports Strong Q1 2026 Revenue and Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate ESG/brand activity: Aflac expanded its “Check for Cancer” program and recognized leaders — positive for reputation and community engagement but unlikely to move near‑term fundamentals. Aflac recognizes 6 leaders as Check for Cancer Champions
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 EPS missed expectations: Aflac posted $1.75 EPS vs. consensus ~$1.80–$1.83, and revenue came in marginally below some estimates — the miss is a direct catalyst for the intraday weakness. AFLAC ($AFL) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy insider selling and notable institutional trimming were flagged in recent filings (large sales by strategic holders and a sizeable reduction by UBS AM), which can weigh on sentiment and suggest less insider confidence in near‑term upside. AFLAC ($AFL) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed analyst views and price targets skew modestly below the current share price (median target ~$111), leaving limited analyst upside in the near term and contributing to selling pressure. AFLAC ($AFL) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings

Aflac Stock Performance

NYSE:AFL opened at $116.07 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $59.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.87, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.66. Aflac Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $96.95 and a fifty-two week high of $119.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $111.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $110.82.

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 14.35% and a net margin of 21.24%.The company had revenue of $4.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.21 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.66 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of the company'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 transaction of $18,655,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 51,723,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,812,641,978. This represents a 0.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 572,632 shares of company stock valued at $63,514,634. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on AFL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Evercore upgraded Aflac from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho set a $102.00 target price on Aflac and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Barclays set a $101.00 target price on shares of Aflac and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Aflac from $118.00 to $116.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $111.82.

About Aflac

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.