Madison Asset Management LLC Has $367,000 Stock Position in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Madison Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 65.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,326 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 6,190 shares during the period. Madison Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $367,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. World Investment Advisors grew its stake in Aflac by 59.8% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 6,298 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $694,000 after purchasing an additional 2,357 shares during the period. Argos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Aflac in the fourth quarter worth approximately $273,000. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in Aflac by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 11,985 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,322,000 after acquiring an additional 825 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP bought a new position in Aflac in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,012,000. Finally, Money Concepts Capital Corp boosted its holdings in Aflac by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 13,559 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,495,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In related news, Director Miwako Hosoda sold 243 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.50, for a total transaction of $27,823.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 7,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $886,573.50. This trade represents a 3.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 24,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.97, for a total value of $2,818,071.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,588,545 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,982,723,563.65. The trade was a 0.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 621,875 shares of company stock valued at $69,196,652 over the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Aflac News Summary

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

Aflac Stock Performance

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $116.26 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $59.17 billion, a PE 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $111.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $111.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

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

Aflac Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is 27.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on AFL. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Aflac from $116.00 to $111.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Aflac from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Aflac from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. 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. Finally, Mizuho set a $104.00 price target on Aflac in a report on Monday, May 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued 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, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.36.

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.