Applied Finance Capital Management LLC Sells 4,800 Shares of Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Applied Finance Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) by 62.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,860 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,800 shares during the period. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Aflac were worth $315,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 33,921 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,740,000 after buying an additional 2,372 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 57,997 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,395,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 18,955 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,090,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. Western Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 20.9% during the 4th quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,333 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 404 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 36,183 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,990,000 after buying an additional 398 shares during the period. 67.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler lowered 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. Weiss Ratings cut Aflac from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Mizuho set a $104.00 price target on Aflac in a report on Monday, May 4th. 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 price target on Aflac from $116.00 to $114.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $111.36.

Key Stories Impacting Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac issued $500 million of 5.150% senior notes due 2036, which should add balance-sheet flexibility and support liquidity for the insurer’s capital management plans. Aflac Issues $500 Million 2036 Senior Notes Offering
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted strong sales growth in Japan and the U.S., improving Japan margins, and a lower benefit ratio, all of which support Aflac’s earnings durability. Here’s Why You Should Keep Holding Aflac in Your Portfolio
• Neutral Sentiment: The latest quarter was mixed, with revenue beating estimates but earnings per share missing consensus, leaving investors focused on whether growth can offset margin pressure.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles questioned Aflac’s valuation and risk profile after softer Japan margins and the earnings miss, but these pieces mainly reinforced existing concerns rather than introducing a new catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan disclosed another small sale of Aflac shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan, adding to a recent pattern of insider selling that can weigh on sentiment. Aflac (NYSE:AFL) Major Shareholder Sells $2,767,885.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Director Arthur Reginald Collins also sold shares recently, which may add a modest headwind to investor sentiment around the stock. SEC insider filing for Arthur Reginald Collins sale

Aflac Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:AFL opened at $116.83 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.11 and a quick ratio of 0.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.62. Aflac Incorporated has a one year low of $96.95 and a one year high of $119.32. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $111.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $111.25.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.66 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.12 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aflac news, Director Arthur Reginald Collins sold 2,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.55, for a total value of $268,065.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 6,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $720,978.30. This represents a 27.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Miwako Hosoda sold 243 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.50, for a total value of $27,823.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 7,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $886,573.50. The trade was a 3.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 648,375 shares of company stock worth $72,256,429. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.