Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

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

Key Headlines Impacting Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly revenue topped Street estimates — Aflac reported roughly $4.87B in Q4 revenue, above consensus, driven by stronger top-line results that offset a year-over-year decline. Quiver Quant: Q4 release
• Positive Sentiment: Board reiterated a dividend increase for Q1 (5.2%), supporting income-focused investors and signaling confidence in cash flow. PR Newswire: Dividend and results
• Neutral Sentiment: Management is presenting at the UBS Financial Services Conference this week — investors can use the presentation/call to assess forward guidance and segment outlooks. PR Newswire: UBS presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate social programs (Check for Cancer campaign) continue to be highlighted — positive for brand and group-sales engagement but unlikely to move near-term fundamentals. BenefitNews: Campaign
• Negative Sentiment: EPS missed estimates — Aflac reported $1.57 GAAP EPS vs. Street estimates (~$1.69–$1.71), which weighed on sentiment despite the revenue beat. Zacks: EPS miss
• Negative Sentiment: Japan business under scrutiny — articles note slipping net earned premiums in Japan and questions about whether recent margin improvements are sustainable, a key driver of Aflac’s earnings. Investing.com: Japan margins
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/market reaction and insider activity are mixed — some outlets report shares edging lower on the bottom-line miss, and recent filings show insider selling and a spread of analyst price targets and ratings. Investing UK: market reaction Quiver Quant: insider & analyst data

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AFL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Aflac from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Aflac in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Mizuho began coverage on Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $104.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Aflac from $101.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $119.00 target price (up previously from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.64.

Aflac Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $61.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.37, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.67. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $109.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $4.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 23.55% and a return on equity of 14.97%. Aflac’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Aflac Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be issued a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 18th. This is a boost from Aflac’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Steven Kent Beaver sold 5,492 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.53, for a total value of $601,538.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 38,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,202,447.04. This represents a 12.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.00, for a total value of $114,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 23,615 shares in the company, valued at $2,692,110. The trade was a 4.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 30,044 shares of company stock worth $3,355,981 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its position in shares of Aflac by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 19,088 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,105,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Aflac by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 11,923 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,315,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp increased its holdings in shares of Aflac by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 9,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,088,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Courier Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Aflac by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 2,597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp boosted its stake in Aflac by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 2,939 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $324,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

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.