Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Reaches New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $118.92 and last traded at $118.6920, with a volume of 597691 shares. The stock had previously closed at $113.62.

Key Headlines Impacting Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue beat estimates—Aflac reported Q4 revenue above consensus, reflecting strong top-line performance that offsets some earnings weakness. AFLAC ($AFL) Releases Q4 2025 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Company is boosting shareholder returns—Aflac’s quarter included actions to increase returns to shareholders, which supports the dividend/repurchase narrative. Aflac Reports Mixed Q4 Results, Boosts Shareholder Returns
• Positive Sentiment: Management set 2026 benefit-ratio targets and signaled continued capital deployment—this implies confidence in margin trends (especially in Japan) and potential for ongoing buybacks/dividends. Aflac outlines 2026 benefit ratio targets and signals continued strong capital deployment
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings materials available—investors have access to the earnings presentation and detailed call transcript to parse reserves, investment income and segment trends. Aflac Incorporated 2025 Q4 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: EPS missed consensus—Q4 GAAP EPS came in below estimates ($1.57 vs. ~ $1.69–$1.71), pressured by lower investment income and higher costs, which is the immediate driver of downward price pressure. Aflac Q4 Earnings Miss Estimates on Lower Investment Income
• Negative Sentiment: Cybersecurity fallout and management commentary raised investor concerns—coverage highlights how post-earnings commentary and cyber-related issues could influence sentiment and near-term stock performance. How Investors May Respond To Aflac (AFL) Earnings Amid Cybersecurity Fallout And Management Commentary
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst mix and insider selling—several firms have low or underweight ratings and recent insider sales plus a median analyst target below the current price add downward pressure. AFLAC ($AFL) Releases Q4 2025 Earnings

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AFL has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $119.00 price objective (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Barclays set a $101.00 target price on shares of Aflac and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 target price on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $110.64.

Aflac Stock Down 0.2%

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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.03, a P/E/G ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.67.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.12). Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 14.35%. The firm had revenue of $4.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.45 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. This is a positive change from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.72%.

Insider Activity

In other Aflac news, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 786 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.75, for a total transaction of $89,407.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 24,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,824,298.75. This trade represents a 3.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Audrey B. Tillman sold 15,862 shares of Aflac stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total value of $1,776,544.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 230,688 shares in the company, valued at $25,837,056. This represents a 6.43% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 29,044 shares of company stock valued at $3,241,981. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Aflac

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Aflac by 188.5% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 225 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Aflac by 1,526.7% in the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the period. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Navalign LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aflac during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.