Aflac Incorporated $AFL Position Lessened by Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lowered its stake in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 85.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 87,845 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 520,118 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s holdings in Aflac were worth $9,687,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AFL. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Aflac by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,142,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,301,056,000 after buying an additional 6,759,169 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Aflac by 1,184.5% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,264,090 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $141,199,000 after acquiring an additional 1,165,676 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Aflac by 132.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,227,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $137,078,000 after acquiring an additional 699,080 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Aflac by 180.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 252,457 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,320,000 after acquiring an additional 565,884 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its position in Aflac by 402.9% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 653,853 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $73,035,000 after purchasing an additional 523,845 shares during the last quarter. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aflac Stock Up 0.7%

AFL stock opened at $116.26 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $111.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.22. The company has a market capitalization of $59.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.62. Aflac Incorporated has a 52 week low of $96.95 and a 52 week 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 0.26.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.05). Aflac had a net margin of 25.60% and a return on equity of 13.88%. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.66 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.70%.

More Aflac News

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac issued $500 million of 5.150% senior notes due 2036, a move that can support liquidity and provide flexibility for capital management. Aflac Issues $500 Million 2036 Senior Notes Offering
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains constructive overall, highlighting strong sales growth in Japan and the U.S., improving Japan margins, and a lower benefit ratio, which supports the case for continued earnings resilience. Here’s Why You Should Keep Holding Aflac in Your Portfolio
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s recent earnings were mixed: revenue beat expectations, but EPS missed estimates, leaving investors focused on whether growth can offset margin pressure and valuation concerns.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles questioned Aflac’s valuation and risk profile after softer Japan margins and the earnings miss, but these pieces did not indicate a new fundamental setback beyond what was already known.
• Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan disclosed another small sale of Aflac shares under a pre-arranged trading plan, adding to recent insider selling that can weigh on sentiment. Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $2,767,885.00 in Stock

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In other news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 166,000 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.38, for a total transaction of $18,655,080.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,723,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,812,641,978. This trade represents a 0.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 621,875 shares of company stock worth $69,196,652. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Aflac from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Aflac from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Evercore upgraded Aflac from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.36.

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.