Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Makes New Investment in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought 188,560 Aflac shares in the second quarter, valued at approximately $22.1 million. Institutional investors now own 67.44% of the company.
• Aflac’s latest quarterly results were mixed: revenue of $4.22 billion exceeded estimates, but EPS of $1.75 slightly missed expectations and declined from $1.78 year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share, or $2.44 annually, representing a 2.1% yield and a 26.15% payout ratio. Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $116.62.

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 188,560 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $22,109,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AFL. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Aflac during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Groupe la Francaise acquired a new position in Aflac in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $138.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Aflac in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $103.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Aflac has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $116.62.

More Aflac News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac’s quarterly dividend remains a support for income-focused investors. The company declared a $0.61-per-share payment, equivalent to $2.44 annually and a yield of approximately 2.1%, with a relatively modest 26.15% payout ratio. A Boring Dividend Growth Strategy Becomes a Solid Defensive Play
• Neutral Sentiment: Aflac’s valuation remains relatively moderate, with a price-to-earnings ratio near 12.5. However, analyst sentiment is mixed: the consensus rating is “Hold,” and the average price target of $116.62 is close to the stock’s recent trading level.
• Neutral Sentiment: Aflac’s recent quarterly results were mixed. Earnings of $1.75 per share narrowly missed estimates, while revenue of $4.22 billion exceeded expectations; revenue nevertheless declined 1% year over year and EPS fell from $1.78 in the prior-year quarter. Aflac stock steadies as Japan Post trims stake and mixed Q2 2026 results shape outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings has continued reducing its Aflac stake, selling 13,200 shares for approximately $1.55 million on August 26 and 12,700 shares for approximately $1.48 million on August 25. The transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, and each reduced its ownership by only 0.03%, limiting the immediate fundamental impact. However, the repeated sales may create a supply overhang and weigh on investor sentiment. Major AFLAC Stakeholder Makes Bold Move With Multimillion-Dollar Stock Sale

Aflac Stock Up 0.1%

AFL stock opened at $116.66 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a 1-year low of $104.66 and a 1-year high of $130.22. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $121.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $116.21. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $58.49 billion, a PE ratio of 12.50, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.60.

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

Aflac Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Aflac's payout ratio is presently 26.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Aflac news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 63,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.12, for a total value of $7,441,560.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,169,435 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,044,133,662.20. This represents a 0.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 515,325 shares of company stock valued at $60,514,826. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Aflac Company 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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