Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Trims Stake in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group trimmed its position in Aflac by 5.5%, selling 75,246 shares and ending the quarter with 1,282,526 shares (about 0.24%) worth roughly $141.4 million.
• Aflac missed Q4 estimates, reporting $1.57 EPS vs. $1.69 expected and $4.28 billion in revenue (down 9.6% YoY); the stock trades near $111 with a consensus "Hold" and a $112.27 target.
• Major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan and insiders have sold 486,477 shares in the last 90 days, a cadence that has weighed on market sentiment.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,282,526 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 75,246 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.24% of Aflac worth $141,424,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. boosted its position in Aflac by 0.8% during the third quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 11,827 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,321,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Courier Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 3.9% during the third quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 2,597 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its stake in Aflac by 5.1% in the third quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,037 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc raised its stake in Aflac by 3.2% in the third quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 3,169 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $354,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Berkeley Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Aflac by 0.9% in the third quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,669 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,303,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aflac Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of AFL stock opened at $110.82 on Monday. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $96.95 and a 12-month high of $119.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm's 50 day moving average is $111.44 and its 200 day moving average is $110.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.66.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The company's revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. Research analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Aflac

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total value of $18,655,080.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 51,723,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,812,641,978. This trade represents a 0.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a 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. Insiders sold a total of 486,477 shares of company stock valued at $53,758,442 over the last 90 days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Aflac News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore upgraded AFL from "strong sell" to "strong buy" — a bullish broker action that can attract buyers and support the stock. Zacks Coverage of Evercore Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target to $115 and kept a "market perform" rating—small incremental upside from current levels that may steady sentiment. Benzinga on KBW PT Raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its target to $116 but kept an "equal weight" view — a mild model update rather than a clear buy/sell signal. Benzinga on Wells Fargo PT Change
• Neutral Sentiment: Market/valuation discussion and pre‑earnings writeups (Yahoo Finance piece) are highlighting Aflac’s multi‑year run vs. mixed valuation signals — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Yahoo Finance Valuation Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Small Q1 lobbying disclosure ($62k) was reported — routine regulatory transparency, unlikely to move fundamentals. Quiver Quant Lobbying Update
• Negative Sentiment: UBS cut its price target to $114 and moved to a Neutral rating — a downgrade that likely pressured sentiment and contributed to selling. AmericanBankingNews on UBS PT Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Post Holdings Co., Ltd. Japan (a >10% holder) has executed a string of disclosed share sales under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan (multiple blocks at ~\$109–\$112). The cadence of these sales, while planned and small versus its total stake, is weighing on market sentiment. SEC Filing (Post Holdings Sales)

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on AFL shares. Barclays set a $101.00 price target on shares of Aflac and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 target price on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b+)" rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Two 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 given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $112.27.

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.

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.